Tech 1 Racing - Race Tech

Tech 1 Racing is a racing team based in Toulouse, France. They currently compete in the World Series by Renault and Eurocup MÃ©gane Trophy.

Career

French Formula Renault 2.0

The team was founded in 2000 by French racing driver Simon Abadie. They joined the French Formula Renault 2.0 championship the same year, with Abadie finishing as runner-up in the standings. They also finished as runner-up in the series in 2003 before leaving the championship at the end of the 2005 season.

Eurocup MÃ©gane Trophy

In 2005, Tech 1 joined the newly formed Eurocup MÃ©gane Trophy, with Matthieu Lahaye and Simon Abadie finishing ninth and tenth respectively in the championship. The following year they finished second in the Drivers' championship with Lahaye and also claimed the Teams' title, the first of three consecutive Teams' championships. In 2007, they claimed a one-two finish in the drivers' championship, with Portuguese driver Pedro Petiz taking the title ahead of team-mate Dimitri Enjalbert.

World Series by Renault

2006 saw Tech 1 Racing join the World Series by Renault championship with drivers JÃ©rÃ´me d'Ambrosio and Ryo Fukuda. Tech 1 took over Saulnier Racing's single-seater racing structure and equipment. After a steady first season the team finished twelfth in the Teams' standings, with Fukuda taking their best race result of fourth place at both Donington Park and Le Mans.

In 2007 the team fielded former British Formula 3 champion Ãlvaro Parente and Frenchman Julien Jousse. Parente took two victories during the season (at Monaco and Spa-Francorchamps) to claim the title ahead of Ben Hanley, with Jousse finishing in tenth position. Tech 1 also secured the Teams' title, ahead of International DracoRacing and Carlin Motorsport.

Jousse remained with the team for the 2008 season, where he was joined by Formula Renault graduate Charles Pic. After taking six podium placesÂ â€" including a win at BarcelonaÂ â€" Jousse finished second in the championship behind Giedo van der Garde, whilst Pic took wins at Monaco and Le Mans to finish in sixth place. The team also won their second consecutive Teams' title.

Pairing the drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Brendon Hartley at the start of the season (the latter would be replaced by 2010 British Formula 3 season champion Jean-Ã‰ric Vergne), Tech 1 secured the 2010 season title.

The team claimed just one more team title in 2012 season, with Jules Bianchi finishing vice-champion in the standings, before withdrawing from the sport three seasons later.

Drivers who graduated to F1

The following drivers who have competed for any of Tech 1 series teams have successfully graduated to F1:

JÃ©rÃ´me d'Ambrosio: Competed for Tech 1's Formula Renault team in 2006. He raced with Marussia F1 in 2011. He currently competes in Formula E for Dragon Racing.

Charles Pic: Competed for Tech 1's Formula Renault team in 2008 and 2009. He raced for Marussia F1 in 2012 and Caterham F1 in 2013.

Daniel Ricciardo: Competed for Tech 1's Formula Renault team in 2009. He raced for HRT for part of the 2011 season and Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2012 and 2013 before graduating to Red Bull Racing in 2014.

Carlos Sainz, Jr.: Competed for Tech 1's Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 team in 2010. He currently races for Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Jean-Ã‰ric Vergne: Competed for Tech 1's GP3 team in 2010. He raced with Scuderia Toro Rosso from 2012 to 2014. He is currently a test driver for Scuderia Ferrari and competes in Formula E with Techeetah.

Jules Bianchi: Competed with for Tech 1's Formula Renault team in 2012. He raced for Marussia F1 in 2013 and 2014, before dying from injuries sustained at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.