| Bruno Correia | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Information | ||
| Nationality |  Portuguese
| |
| Full Name | Bruno Ricardo Sobreiro Correia | |
| Date of Birth | 16 November 1977 | |
| Formula E Career | ||
| Current Role | Safety car driver | |
| Years Active | 2014 — Present | |
Bruno Ricardo Sobreiro Correia (born 16 November 1977), more widely known as Bruno Correia is a Portuguese former racing driver and current safety car driver for the ABB FIA Formula Championship.[1] A World Champion in Formula Ford and Formula Renault, Correia is on-call at every Formula E race, and would make his on-track debut at the 2014 Putrajaya ePrix.[2]
Background[]
Correia's career began in karting, before a move to the Portuguese Formula Ford Championship in 1994, aged seventeen.[3] The young Portuguese star would win the title on his first attempt, moving to the Spanish Formula Renault Championship the following season.[3] Two seasons in Spain's Formula Renault series saw Correia claim the Junior and Overall titles in successive seasons.[3]
The American Dream[]
Correia moved to the US after failing to secure a major drive outside of Spain, instead getting a seat in Formula Dodge.[3] However, a poor season for the Portuguese talent left him without any offers in 1998, meaning he had to call time on his racing career.[3] Correia moved to Brazil that year, becoming a hotel manager in Cumbuco, Brazil.[3]
Safety Standards[]
Correia briefly managed to resurrect his career in 2005, getting a run in the Brazilian Supertouring Championship.[3] The Portuguese racer would finish runner-up, but with Super Touring becoming a thing of the past, Correia was left without a drive once again.[3] However, Correia would not leave racing entirely after 2005, instead becoming a driver trainer at several Brazilian circuit.[3]
His break would ultimately come in 2009, when Correia was invited to take part in the World Touring Car Championship.[3] However, his role was not to be that of a racing driver, rather the FIA's permanent safety car driver, after a major incident involving event-based safety car pilots.[4] Correia had finally found his niche in motorsport, and would retain his WTCC role, as well as pickup a safety car drive in the ETCC in 2012.[3]
Formula E History[]
Given his relationship and role as one of the FIA's few permanent safety car drivers, it seemed inevitable that Correia would be their first choice when they launched the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in 2013.[1] The Portuguese driver was duly named as the series' main safety car driver ahead of the inaugural 2014/15 season, using one of the series two BMW Qualcomm i8 safety cars.[1] Correia would have to wait until the 2014 Putrajaya ePrix to make his public debut, but would be a frequent sight at ePrix from that moment onwards.[2]
References[]
Videos and Images:
References:
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 'INSIGHT: Qualcomm wireless charging – how does it work?', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 22/12/2014), http://fiaformulae.com/en/news/2014/december/insight-qualcomm-wireless-charging-how-does-it-work.aspx, (Accessed 21/07/2015)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 'Sam Bird seals victory in the Putrajaya ePrix', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 22/11/2014), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2014/november/sam-bird-seals-victory-in-the-putrajaya-eprix.aspx (Accessed 25/04/2015)
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 'Bruno Correia', wikipedia.org, (WikiMedia, 15/09/2017), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Correia, (Accessed 02/02/2018)
- ↑ Johan Meissner, 'Permanent Safety Car driver from Portugal', touringcartimes.com, (Touring Car Times, 2009), https://www.touringcartimes.com/2009/07/03/permanent-safety-car-driver-from-portugal/, (Accessed 02/02/2018)