Devlin DeFrancesco

Devlin DeFrancesco (born January 17, 2000)[1] is a Canadian-Italian auto racing driver currently competing in the Asian Formula 3 Championship with Absolute Racing.[2] Prior to racing single-seater cars, DeFrancesco also had a career in kart racing, winning the 2013 Canadian National Junior Karting Championship, coming in second in the CSAI Italian Championship and third overall in the CIK FIA European Championship.[3][4] In 2015, he was selected to be a part of the Generation Ganassi Driver Identification Program, a talent development program sponsored by Chip Ganassi Racing.[5][6]

Devlin DeFrancesco
Nationality	Canadian
Born	17 January 2000 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
FIA Formula 3 Championship career
Debut season	2019
Current team	Trident Racing
Car number	17
Starts	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Poles	0
Fastest laps	0
Previous series
2020 2019 2018 2018 2017 2016 2016 2016 2015	Asian F3 Championship FIA Formula 3 Championship F3 European Championship GP3 Series Euroformula Open Championship MSA Formula Italian F4 Championship Toyota Racing Series Ginetta Junior Championship
Championship titles
2017	Spanish F3 Championship

Early life

Devlin was born on January 17, 2000[1] to Andrew and Cathy DeFrancesco. Born 15 weeks premature, Devlin only weighed a pound and his eyes were fused shut. Doctors did not expect him to survive, and he was given his last rites by the family priest. Devlin remained in Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre until he was nursed back to health.[7][8] Defying all odds, aged 6, he started to race go-karts.[3]

Racing career

Devlin DeFrancesco began racing go-karts in 2006 at the age of 6.[3] Competing in series such as the Florida Winter Tour and the SKUSA Pro Tour.[1][9] In 2011, he spent a season racing in Italy's kart racing series where he finished 7th in the Final Cup race. By the end of the year, he had made the podium in 12-straight national-level North American races, a record at the time.[10]

In 2013, DeFrancesco won the Canadian National Junior Karting Championship after a successful appeal of a penalty which placed him 19th due to initiating race-ending contact with another driver. This was his second Canadian National Championship. Competing in Europe in 2014, he placed 2nd overall in the Italian Championship and 3rd overall in the CIK FIA European Championship.[3][4][11] Unfortunately in 2014, he sustained an injury to his wrist that required two surgeries and kept him out of a full racing series for around a year. As part of his rehabilitation, Devlin attended the Carlin Academy where he used a combination of simulators and on-track testing to prepare for FIA Formula 4-style racing.[12][11]

In 2015, Devlin's talent was recognised as he was selected to be a part of the Generation Ganassi Driver Identification Program,[13] a mentoring and talent development program sponsored by Chip Ganassi Racing aiming to identify and assist up to 10 North American drivers between the ages of 13 and 18. During the official announcement, DeFrancesco was joined by IndyCar driver, Tony Kanaan.[3][5]

Ginetta Junior Championship

Graduating from karts in 2015, Devlin competed in the 2015 Ginetta Junior Championship with British team, HHC Motorsports.[1][14] with a best result of 7th during the first race at the Knockhill Racing Circuit. Devlin also secured his first pole position at the Rockingham Motor Speedway, finishing his debut season with 66 points.[1][6]

Toyota Racing Series

In early 2016, Devlin got his first taste of single-seater racing competing in New Zealand's Toyota Racing Series on the Giles Motorsport team.[15][16] Over the course of the season, Devlin secured 7 top ten finishes, with a seasons best of 5th at Teretonga Park ending the season 10th overall with a total of 465 points.[1]

MSA Formula

Devlin joined Carlin Motorsports for the 2016 MSA Formula season, graduating from the Carlin Academy [12][4] He took his first win at Thruxton, also securing the fastest lap of the race. Continuing to shine, Devlin took 2 further wins one at Oulton Park[17] and another in Croft.

Euroformula Open

Graduating to Europe, Devlin continued his collaboration with Carlin Motorsport into the Euroformula Open and Spanish Formula 3 Championships in 2017.[18] A strong campaign saw him end the season as Spanish Formula 3 champion[19] earning 3 wins and 5 podiums. Alongside an impressive Euroformula Open campaign, in which he took a victory and 7 podiums, netting 3rd in the championship standings.[20]

FIA Formula 3 European Championship

Following his success in Spanish Formula 3 championship, Devlin joined the FIA Formula 3 European Championship for the final two rounds of the 2017 season.[21][22] He further teamed up with Carlin in 2018, taking to the track for the opening two races.[23] However was forced to withdraw from the following round to undergo a small dental surgery, which coincided with Round 3 at the Norisring in Germany [24] Following a full recovery, Devlin made the switch to join GP3 Series for the remainder of the 2018 season, teaming up with MP Motorsport.[25]

GP3 Series

Teaming up with MP Motorsport, Devlin joined the field at the second round on the calendar - Red Bull Ring. Tackling a fresh new challenge, Devlin rapidly got to grips with his machinery and relished the opportunity to race in the support series for Formula 1. Debuting in Austria, he earned 11th-place finish, narrowly missing out on points, but making up an astounding 9 places in only his first weekend behind the wheel.[26]

Despite having to miss another round, due to illness,[27] Devlin completed the year in 21st place, with a strong showing in all the remaining races. Equalling his best finish in the final round at Abu Dhabi.[28]

FIA Formula 3

In 2019, Devlin contested the inaugural FIA F3 championship,[29] the series which was formed by the merger of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and the GP3 Series, as part of the Formula 1 support schedule.

Teaming up with Trident Motorsport to contest all 8 rounds, beginning in the first round at Catalunya and culminating in the final round at Sochi.[29][30]

Taking to the track as part of the 30-car field, the championship saw Devlin fighting wheel-to-wheel against the fiercely competitive field and advancing through the pack at every opportunity. Quick to get to grips with the new machinery, Round 2 at Paul Ricard saw Devlin making up 13 places in the opening stages of the first race,[31] before unfortunately retiring from the race. His strong racing form continued throughout the season, with a series of impressive fights through the pack. Narrowly missing out on points at the Red Bull Ring, he further impressed with strong results at Hungaroring, Monza and the closing round at Sochi.

In February 2020, it was announced that Devlin would rejoin Trident Racing for a second year in the championship[32]

Asian Formula 3

During the 2019/2020 winter break Devlin teamed up with Absolute Racing, contesting in the 2019/20 F3 Asian Championship certified by FIA to retain his racing sharpness over the European winter break [2] racing across Asia and the Middle East.[33] Enjoying considerable success securing 3 podiums, a pole position and points in every race he competed in.[34] Devlin missed the last 2 rounds of the championship over fears surrounding the spread of the Coronavirus[35]

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

Away from single seaters, Devlin has also shown his skill, racing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Joining the 24 Hours of Daytona 2018 grid[36] Devlin made his first appearance with JDC-Miller MotorSports in the Oreca-Gibson car, affectionately dubbed the ‘Banana Boat’. Placing an impressive 6th on debut,[37] in his first ever endurance race. Returning for the ‘Petit Le Mans’ event at Road Atlanta in October, Devlin and his teammates finished in 9th place.

2019 saw Devlin return to contest the 57th running of the Daytona 24 with JDC MotorSports behind the wheel of the Cadillac DPi,[38][39] as the youngest prototype driver on the grid. Racing through tough conditions alongside teammates Misha Goikhberg, Tristan Vautier and Rubens Barrichello, the race was ended ahead of the 22nd hour of racing, due to heavy rainfall, which placed the car in 5th place at the flag - his best result to date.[40]

Racing Record

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2015	Ginetta Junior Championship	HHC Motorsport	12	0	1	0	0	66	23rd
2016	F4 British Championship	Carlin	30	3	1	2	10	265	5th
	Italian F4 Championship	Mücke Motorsport	18	0	0	0	0	40	19th
	Toyota Racing Series	Giles Motorsport	15	0	0	0	0	465	10th
2017	Euroformula Open Championship	Carlin	16	1	0	0	7	172	3rd
	Spanish Formula 3 Championship		6	1	0	0	3	119	1st
	FIA Formula 3 European Championship		6	0	0	0	0	0	NC†
	Macau Grand Prix		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	DNF
2018	GP3 Series	MP Motorsport	12	0	0	0	0	0	21st
	FIA Formula 3 European Championship	Carlin	6	0	0	0	0	0	25th
	WeatherTech SportsCar Championship	JDC-Miller MotorSports	2	0	0	0	0	47	38th
2019	FIA Formula 3 Championship	Trident	16	0	0	0	0	0	25th
	WeatherTech SportsCar Championship	JDC-Miller MotorSports	1	0	0	0	0	26	32nd
2019–20	F3 Asian Championship	Absolute Racing	9	0	1	1	3	101	7th
2020	Indy Pro 2000 Championship	Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport	17	2	3	1	6	341	2nd
2021	WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - LMP2	DragonSpeed USA	1	0	0	0	1	0	*

^† As DeFrancesco was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
^* Season still in progress.

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	DC	Points
2017	Carlin	Volkswagen	SIL 1	SIL 2	SIL 3	MNZ 1	MNZ 2	MNZ 3	PAU 1	PAU 2	PAU 3	HUN 1	HUN 2	HUN 3	NOR 1	NOR 2	NOR 3	SPA 1	SPA 2	SPA 3	ZAN 1	ZAN 2	ZAN 3	NÜR 1	NÜR 2	NÜR 3	RBR 1 16	RBR 2 20	RBR 3 12	HOC 1 19	HOC 2 17	HOC 3 14	NC†	0†
2018	Carlin	Volkswagen	PAU 1 Ret	PAU 2 Ret	PAU 3 Ret	HUN 1 18	HUN 2 16	HUN 3 14	NOR 1 WD	NOR 2 WD	NOR 3 WD	ZAN 1 WD	ZAN 2 WD	ZAN 3 WD	SPA 1	SPA 2	SPA 3	SIL 1	SIL 2	SIL 3	MIS 1	MIS 2	MIS 3	NÜR 1	NÜR 2	NÜR 3	RBR 1	RBR 2	RBR 3	HOC 1	HOC 2	HOC 3	25th	0

^† As DeFrancesco was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Complete GP3 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Pos	Points
2018	MP Motorsport	CAT FEA	CAT SPR	LEC FEA	LEC SPR	RBR FEA 18†	RBR SPR 11	SIL FEA 15	SIL SPR 14	HUN FEA WD	HUN SPR WD	SPA FEA 18	SPA SPR Ret	MNZ FEA 13	MNZ SPR 15	SOC FEA 17	SOC SPR 12	YMC FEA 17	YMC SPR 11	21st	0

^† Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Class	Make	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Rank	Points
2018	JDC-Miller MotorSports	P	Oreca 07	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	DAY 6	SEB	LBH	MDO	DET	WGL	MOS	ELK	LGA	PET 9	38th	47
2019	JDC-Miller MotorSports	DPi	Cadillac DPi-V.R	Cadillac 5.5L V8	DAY 5	SEB	LBH	MDO	DET	WGL	MOS	ELK	LGA	PET	32nd	26
2021	DragonSpeed USA	LMP2	Oreca 07	Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8	DAY 3†	SEB	DET	WGL	ELK	LGA	PET				*	*

^† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship. ^* Season still in progress.

Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

Year	Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	DC	Points
2019	Trident	CAT FEA 23	CAT SPR 20	LEC FEA 21†	LEC SPR 21	RBR FEA 17	RBR SPR 9	SIL FEA 27	SIL SPR 17	HUN FEA 12	HUN SPR 11	SPA FEA 29	SPA SPR Ret	MNZ FEA 12	MNZ SPR 16	SOC FEA 23	SOC SPR 12	25th	0

^† Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

American open-wheel racing results

(key)

Indy Pro 2000 Championship

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Rank	Points
2020	Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport	ROA 2	ROA 4	MOH 7	MOH 2	MOH 3	LOR 4	GMP 1	IMS 4	IMS 2	IMS 8	MDO 14	MDO 11	NJM 1	NJM 10	NJM 10	STP 7	STP 6	2nd	341

References

1. "Devlin DeFrancesco". www.driverdb.com. DriverDB. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
2. "Devlin DeFrancesco to take on new challenge in Asia with Absolute Racing | Absolute Racing". Retrieved 2019-12-16.
3. McDonald, Norris (6 November 2015). "Canadian teen selected by Chip Ganassi as first 'One to Watch'". Toronto Star. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
4. "Devlin DeFrancesco signs for Carlin for MSA Formula 2016". MSA Formula. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
5. Pappone, Jeff (9 November 2015). "Toronto teen first selected to racing icon's new program". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
6. Allen, Peter (10 December 2015). "Carlin confirms MSA Formula seat for Devlin DeFrancesco". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
7. Waldie, Paul (27 July 2012). "Grateful parents on track to help babies and their moms". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
8. McDonald, Norris (19 January 2016). "Auto Racing Roundup: DeFrancesco, Abreu beating the odds". Wheels.ca. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
9. "FORMULA KART CHAMPIONSHIP ORLANDO REVIEW". Florida Winter Tour. 18 January 2011. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
10. Robertson, Grant (18 December 2011). "DeFrancesco accelerates racing savvy in Europe". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
11. David, Gruz (24 March 2015). "Devlin DeFrancesco joins Carlin to prepare for single-seater debut". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
12. Carlin (Aug 12, 2017). "DEFRANCESCO CONFIRMED FOR FIA FORMULA THREE IN 2018". Carlin.
13. "CGRT Announces Generation Ganassi Driver Identification Program". www.chipganassiracing.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
14. "Devlin DeFrancesco is ready to impress". Paddock Insight. 12 July 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
15. Allen, Peter (9 January 2016). "Toyota Racing Series set for 19 cars in 2016 edition". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
16. "Markelov to make Toyota Racing Series return". Motorsport.com. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
17. "Lights to Flag Victory for Devlin". www.devlindefrancesco.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
18. Allen, Peter (23 November 2016). "DeFrancesco to move on to Euroformula Open with Carlin". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
19. "Devlin DeFrancesco is Spanish Formula 3 champion". in.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
20. "EuroFormula Open 2017 standings | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
21. "DeFrancesco to make European F3 debut with Carlin". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
22. Simmons, Marcus. "British F4 race winner DeFrancesco to contest F3 rounds with Carlin". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
23. Simmons, Marcus. "Carlin confirms Devlin DeFrancesco for 2018 European F3 season". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
24. "Devlin DeFrancesco withdraws from Norisring Round". www.devlindefrancesco.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
25. Camp, Stephen. "GP3: Devlin DeFrancesco joins MP Motorsport for the remainder of 2018". Motorsport Week. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
26. "Strong Start for Devlin DeFrancesco in GP3". www.devlindefrancesco.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
27. "Devlin withdraws from Hungarian GP3 round with Illness – MP Motorsport". Retrieved 2019-05-07.
28. "Devlin says farewell to 2018 in style with a season best finish". www.devlindefrancesco.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
29. "Devlin DeFrancesco completes Trident's 2019 line-up - Formula 3". www.fiaformula3.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
30. "Devlin DeFrancesco Joins Trident's 2019 F3 Squad". The Checkered Flag. 2019-02-27. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
31. "Strong showing for Devlin DeFrancesco in France". www.devlindefrancesco.com. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
32. MotorSport, Trident. "F3 TRIDENT - DRIVER ANNOUNCEMENT". Trident Motorsport (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-02-14.
33. "RACES > CALENDAR - F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA". www.f3asia.com. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
34. "RACES / RESULTS / 2020 - F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA". www.f3asia.com. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
35. Wood, Elliot (2020-02-11). "Devlin DeFrancesco departs Asian F3 due to medical concerns". Formula Scout. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
36. "Devlin DeFrancesco Completes JDC Miller Rolex 24 Line-up – dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
37. "Devlin DeFrancesco shines at the Rolex 24". www.devlindefrancesco.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
38. DeFrancesco, Devlin; Release, Press (2019-01-22). "DeFrancesco returning to 24 hours of Daytona - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
39. Malsher, David. "Barrichello to enter 2019 Daytona 24 with JDC-Miller Motorsports". Autosport.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
40. "Devlin and the 'banana boat' navigate washout Daytona 24". www.devlindefrancesco.com. Retrieved 2019-05-07.

External links

• Official website
• Devlin DeFrancesco on Driver Database