Julien Gerbi (born October 3, 1985) is a French-Algerian-Spanish

race car driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including n ...

Career

Debut

Gerbi started driving in

karting Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size motor ...

in 1992, but didn't choose to race, competing only once in

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

where he won his first competition. He trained many years, before debuting as a test driver in

Formula Nissan In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwe ...

Junior in 2003 with the GTEC Team.

Sport Prototypes

In 2004, promoted as the new "Draco Target Driver", the

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

driver participated to the Formula X Endurance Series, finishing 4th in the European category. He finished 3rd for his first race in

Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...

, and poleman for the first ever race held in the brand new

Dubai Autodrome The Dubai Autodrome (دبي أوتودروم) is an FIA sanctioned motorsports circuit located in Dubailand, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The architects of the project were Populous and the circuit was designed by Clive Bowen of Apex Circui ...

. He was crowned 'Best Rookie' at the end of the year. He also tested in

British Formula Three The British Formula Three Championship was an international Auto racing, motor racing series that took place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It was a junior-level Formula racing, feeder formula ...

for the Promatecme Team.

Formula 3

He only appeared in one race of the Spanish

Formula BMW Formula BMW was a junior racing formula for single seater cars. It was positioned at the bottom of the motorsport career ladder alongside the longer established Formula Ford category. Like Formula Ford, it was intended to function as the young ...

championship in 2005, before jumping into another

Formula 3 Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...

seat in 2006. Racing for Team Active in the

Turkish Formula Three Championship The Turkish Formula Three Championship is an international motor racing series that takes place primarily in Turkey. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. The races are held in İzmit Körfez ...

, Gerbi scored three wins and five podiums in eight races, establishing as well the new Izmir track record in May. Competing only half of the championship, his classification was a final 5th position and another rookie title.

US Barber Mazda Series

In 2007 and 2008, the driver from

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Skip Barber John "Skip" Barber III (born November 16, 1936) is an American retired racecar driver who is most famous for previously owning and founding the Skip Barber Racing Schools. Driving career Barber started racing in 1958 while studying at Harvard ...

Mazda is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima (town), Fuchū, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. ...

Series. After a 2007 learning season where he finished 10th in the overall championship against 40 other drivers, Gerbi finished 4th in the 2008 edition, with 10 podiums out of 14 races and a win in Virginia. He set the new track record in

Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the town of Salisbury, Connecticut, Salisbury, in the state's northwest corner. Built in 1956, it is the nation's thi ...

, and has also been included into the 2007 World 100 Future Racing Stars, among drivers such as

Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...

, Nelson Piquet Jr. or

Sebastian Vettel Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Vettel won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from to with Red Bull, and rema ...

Formula Palmer Audi

Gerbi eventually came back to Europe in 2009 following some

British Formula 3 The British Formula Three Championship was an international motor racing series that took place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It was a junior-level feeder formula that used small single sea ...

testing. He raced in

Formula Palmer Audi Formula Palmer Audi, officially abbreviated to FPA, and sometimes informally abbreviated to Palmer Audi, was a one-make class of open wheel Formula racing founded in 1998 by former Formula One driver, Jonathan Palmer. It was based in the Unite ...

, during a year marked by many mechanical issues, but eventually took a 1st row at Snetterton's last race. After having shown himself as the most improved driver of the season, he tested in

Formula 3000 Formula 3000 (F3000) was a type of open wheel, single seater formula racing, occupying the tier immediately below Formula One and above Formula Three. It was so named because the cars were powered by 3.0 L engines. Formula 3000 championship ...

and

Formula 2 Formula Two (F2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 to 2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name returned aga ...

during the winter.

Results

Career summary

*Season in progress

Complete Le Mans Cup results

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

Complete Asian Le Mans Series results

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

Complete European Le Mans Series results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^* Season still in progress.

References

"F1: Julien Gerbi en contact avec Lotus Racing"
''Caradisiac.com'' (in French). Retrieved 2024-08-12.

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerbi, Julien 1985 births Living people Racing drivers from Nice French people of Algerian-Berber descent French racing drivers Turkish Formula Three Championship drivers Le Mans Cup drivers Algerian racing drivers Asian Le Mans Series drivers European Le Mans Series drivers Sports car racing team owners Team Virage drivers Spanish racing drivers 21st-century French sportsmen