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Rui Andrade (racing driver)
Rui Pinto de Andrade (born 23 September 1999) is an Angolan-Portuguese[1] racing driver who is currently racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for TF Sport. Single-seater careerSpanish F4 ChampionshipAndrade's first experience in single-seaters came in 2018, where he competed for Drivex in the F4 Spanish Championship. He competed from the second round in Valencia until the end of the season, finishing 12th in the standings, having achieved his best results at Barcelona and Navarra where he finished 5th respectively. Formula 4 UAE ChampionshipAndrade drove for Emirate team Dragon Racing in the 2019 Formula 4 UAE Championship. With 201 points Andrade attained 5th in the standings while standing on the podium 6 times, none of which were wins however two of them were second places. The two second places came at the first race at Dubai Autodrome and second race at Yas Marina Circuit.[2] Toyota Racing SeriesAt the 2020 Toyota Racing Series Andrade raced for M2 Competition alongside the top two driver in the championship, Igor Fraga and Liam Lawson. Andrade won 70 points over the course of the season meaning he finished 16th, 2 points behind French teammate Émilien Denner. Two 9th places were the Angolan's best results at the first 2 races at Pukekohe Park.[3] Euroformula Open ChampionshipAndrade's first season at the Euroformula Open Championship was in 2019 with Spanish outfit Drivex Racing.[4] Andrade only finished in the points once and it was at the last round in Monza, ultimately this contributed to a 22nd-place finish with 6 points. In 2020 Andrade switched to CryptoTower Racing, driving alongside Yifei Ye.[5] Whilst the Angolan improved compared to the previous year, scoring points in the majority of races, he ended up 14th in the standings. Endurance racing2021: ALMS, ELMS and Le Mans debut.png) For 2021, Andrade made the transition to sportscars, signing up to compete in the Asian and European Le Mans Series with G-Drive Racing.[6][7] The former championship would yield major success, as Andrade and his teammates, John Falb and Franco Colapinto scored three podiums, leading the team to finish third in the standings. Meanwhile, their European efforts were just as successful, with six class podiums out of six race starts, including an overall podium at the Red Bull Ring.[8] and won the Pro-Am title alongside Falb. That year, Andrade also took part at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he retired following a nighttime accident. 2022: WEC and first victoryThe following season, the Angolan competed in the World Endurance Championship on a full-time basis, partnering Ferdinand Habsburg and Norman Nato at RealTeam by WRT.[9] Having taken two podiums in the opening two races, the outfit experienced a disappointing Le Mans, finishing 17th in class. That result was quickly forgotten, with Andrade and his teammates taking victory at the 6 Hours of Monza, thus making Andrade the first Angolan to win an FIA-sanctioned World Championship race.[10] A pair of top-five finishes ended their season, with the team ending up fourth in the championship. In addition, Andrade raced in the Michelin Endurance Cup races of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, where he took three class podiums including a victory at Petit Le Mans for Tower Motorsport alongside Louis Delétraz and John Farano.[11][12] .jpg) 2023: Return to WRT and WEC TitleAndrade returned to Team WRT for the 2023 WEC season, where he would be driving alongside 2022 Prema teammates Louis Delétraz and Robert Kubica.[13][14] Andrade also took on a full-season effort in the European Le Mans Series with Inter Europol Competition, where he joined Olli Caldwell and Jonathan Aberdein.[15] After starting the WEC campaign with a fifth-placed finish at Sebring, Andrade and his teammates began their title charge at Portimão, scoring a podium as a result of a late-race overtake by Delétraz for third place.[16] The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps provided even more momentum, with the #41 taking their first victory of the season.[17] At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Andrade, Kubica and Delétraz managed to finish second, missing out only to the #34 of Inter Europol Competition, before expanding their championship lead at Monza, where another third place would be added to their tally.[18] Despite a collision with Josh Pierson during his opening stint, Andrade managed to help his squad to victory at the 6 Hours of Fuji, which put them in a near-championship-clinching position going into the season finale in Bahrain.[19] There, both WRTs ran at the front, and with an issue at the final pit stop throwing the sister #31 car to second, the #41 crew were able to cross the finish line first, thereby winning the final championship of the LMP2 class in the WEC.[20][21] 2024: GT switchHaving made his GT racing debut at the start of 2024, driving for Dragon Racing in the AsLMS, Andrade embarked on a WEC campaign in the LMGT3 class.[22] He would partner Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood and bronze Tom van Rompuy at TF Sport, whilst also signing up to IMSA's GTD class with Lone Star Racing, driving in the endurance rounds.[23][24] Racing recordCareer summary† As Andrade was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points. Complete F4 Spanish Championship results(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula 4 UAE Championship results(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Euroformula Open Championship results(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Toyota Racing Series results(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races 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)
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† As Andrade was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points. Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship. References
External links
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