Charles Pic

Charles Pic, born on 15th of February 1990 in the town of Montelimar in France, is a racing driver who has competed in Formula 1.

Pic began to race karting relatively late

He was infected with speed and racing when received his first go-kart as a present on his 12th birthday from his godfather, well-known Formula 1 pilot Eric Bernard, who soon began to teach and guide Charles into the world of competitive karting racing. Over the years, Pic scored some notable results in the French and Italian championships.

Debut in formula racing

At the age of 16, Charles stepped up to single-seaters. In 2006 he debuted in the French Formula Renault Campus and did pretty well. Pic finished 3rd overall after scoring one victory and having a total of eight podiums.

Charles Pic, 2006 French Formula Renault Campus

In the following year, Pic moved to Formula Renault 2.0 and driving for SG Formula team again had notable results. Competing in Eurocup, he scored one win and other five podiums before finishing 3rd, behind Brendon Hartley and Jon Lancaster, but was the best rookie driver. At the same time, in the national championship, in which Jules Bianchi became a champion, Charles was 4th.

Two seasons in Formula Renault 3.5 Series

In 2008 Pic signed with Tech 1 Racing to compete in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. His first year in the new environment was good. Charles won the races in Monaco and Circuit de la Sarthe finished 2nd at Estoril and 3rd at Monza before taking the 6th place overall. Pic again was crowned as a rookie champion and helped his team to win the Teams’ championship.

Charles Pic, Tech 1 Racing, Formula Renault 3.5 Series

Charles stayed in the series with the same team in 2009 and did even better. Frenchman again won two races, this time at Silverstone and Nurburgring, while at Algarve he was 2nd. Over the season he scored points on a regular basis what propelled him to the 3rd position in the Drivers’ championship, behind Bertrand Baguette and Fairuz Fauzy.

Move to GP2 Series

Pic was ready for another change in 2010 when he debuted in the GP2 Series, Formula 1’s official feeder series, driving for the renowned Arden International team. The start was perfect after Charles won the season-opening race in Barcelona but the rest of the campaign wasn’t as good. He picked points in just four races with the 3rd place at Hockenheim as a highlight. At the end of the season, Pic was 10th in the standings.

Pic celebrates victory in the GP2 Series race at Monaco

After picking some experience in his rookie year in the GP2 Series, Pic in 2011 moved to Barwa Addax Team and had a better time. He won the races in Barcelona and Monaco, finished 2nd at Hungaroring, Nurburgring, and Monza, eventually taking the 4th place in the championship, behind Romain Grosjean, Luca Filippi, and Jules Bianchi.

Securing a drive in Formula 1

With Olivier Panis as his new technical advisor, Pic began searching the place in Formula 1 Championship. He had a successful outing with Marussia at young drivers test and earned the chance to race in the most prominent racing series in 2012.

Charles debuted in Formula 1 with Marussia

However, Pic’s first year in motorsport’s top flight was pretty hard. Driving an uncompetitive car of the team which always had a short budget, he wasn’t able to do anything notable. Charles finished the season without points but proved to be a reliable driver. His best result was 12th place in the season-closing race in Brazil.

Move to Caterham

At the end of 2012, it was announced that Pic signed with Caterham for 2013. However, nothing has changed in the terms of environment and the possibilities. Caterham regularly was among the outsiders, so French racer couldn’t do anything significant. That year his best result was the 14th place scored in the races in Malaysia and Korea.

Charles Pic spent one season with caterham F1 team

After being dropped by Caterham at the end of the year, Pic signed with Lotus as a test driver. It was quite bad season for Charles as he got a chance to test the car in only one Friday’s free practice, during the Italian Grand Prix.

Short spell in Formula E and TV career

Unable to find a new engagement in Formula 1, Pic switched attention to other opportunities. The newly-formed Formula E Championship looked like a good chance to revive a career, so Charles became a driver of Andretti Autosport. Despite impressive performance and the 4th place in the season-opening Beijing e-Prix, Pic was replaced prior to the second round by Matthew Brabham.

Charles Pic, Andretti Autosport, 2014-2015 FIA Formula E

Charles returned to Formula E for the fifth round, but this replacing Ho-Pin Tung in the NEXTEV China Racing team. Pic raced in four rounds and scored points in Monaco by finishing 8th.

After being unable to find a new drive, Pic began to work as a commentator and analyst of Formula 1 races for the French Canal+ television.

Photo: charlespic.com, speedsport-magazine.com, motorsportpress.wordpress.com, motorsportpress.co.uk