Summary
Niko Kari (born 6 October 1999) is a Finnish racing driver who last raced in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Jenzer Motorsport. He won his first single-seater championship, the 2015 SMP F4 Championship, in his debut year in car racing[1] and is a former member of the Red Bull Junior Team.
| Niko Kari | |
|---|---|
 Kari in 2019 | |
| Nationality |  Finnish |
| Born | 6 October 1999 Hyvinkää, Finland |
| FIA Formula 3 Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2019 |
| Racing licence |  FIA Gold |
| Car number | 24 |
| Former teams | Trident, Jenzer Motorsport |
| Starts | 18 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 12th in 2019 |
| Previous series | |
| 2020 2018 2016–18 2016 2015 | European Le Mans Series FIA Formula 2 Championship GP3 Series FIA European Formula 3 SMP F4 Championship |
| Championship titles | |
| 2015 | SMP F4 Championship |
Career edit
Karting edit
Kari started karting in 2009 and took part in his first race in 2010. He raced in several national karting series in Finland from 2010 to 2013. In 2014, Kari moved to KF European where he finished fifth overall.[2]
Junior formulae edit
Kari moved to single-seaters in 2015, starting in the new SMP F4 Championship. He won seven races and took the title with three races to spare. Kari moved to European Formula 3 Championship in 2016 with Motopark.[3] He took victory at the first race at Imola after a late lunge on Lance Stroll and finished fifth in the rookie standings and tenth overall.
GP3 Series and Formula 3 edit
2016 edit
In August 2016, Kari was also announced to take part in the GP3 rounds at Spa-Francorchamps with Koiranen GP, in place of Ralph Boschung.[4] He retired from the first race, and finished 14th in the second, scoring no points.
2017 edit
In November 2016, Helmut Marko confirmed Kari would move to the series full-time in 2017.[5] In January, Kari was signed to Arden International.[6] Kari finished the season with one race victory, one third place finish, 63 points and 10th place in drivers' championship. He was dropped from the Red Bull Junior Team after the season.[7]
2018 edit
Kari continued to race in GP3 switching to MP Motorsport for the 2018 campaign.[8] After 14 races into the season Kari was promoted to FIA Formula 2 Championship with MP Motorsport for the remainder of the 2018 season.[9] As a result, Kari finished the season with three point scoring finishes, six total points, and a 17th place in the drivers' championship.
2019 edit
For the rebranded 2019 F3 season, Kari would drive for Trident Racing, and he would achieve two podiums, both 3rd place finished, in Barcelona and Sochi. He finished 12th in the championship with 36 points.
Formula 2 edit
Kari was promoted to FIA Formula 2 Championship with MP Motorsport for the last two weekends of the 2018 season replacing Ralph Boschung.[9] He retired in both races held in Sochi, finished 15th in the first race of Yas Marina Circuit, and retired again in the season closing second race in Abu Dhabi.
Formula One edit
In December 2015, Kari, along with his Motopark teammate Sérgio Sette Câmara, became a member of the Red Bull Junior Team and thus becoming a test driver of Scuderia Toro Rosso. In November 2016, it was confirmed Kari would remain a part of the Junior team.[10] In August of the following year, Kari was dismissed from the program.[7]
European Le Mans Series edit
For the 2020 European Le Mans Series, Kari signed with EuroInternational, in the LMP3 class.[11] They finished fourth overall in the category, with a 2nd, a 3rd, two 6th, and a 7th place finish during the year.
Return to racing edit
In 2022, following a year out of racing, Kari joined Jenzer Motorsport in FIA Formula 3, partnering Ido Cohen and fellow Finn William Alatalo for the opening Bahrain round.[12] He finished the races in 26th and 14th, the former race was derailed by a puncture.[13] Following Bahrain, however, he would be replaced by Federico Malvestiti.[14] Kari ranked 30th in the standings overall.[15]
Racing record edit
Career summary edit
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | SMP F4 Championship | Koiranen GP | 21 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 449 | 1st |
| 2016 | FIA Formula 3 European Championship | Motopark | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 129 | 10th |
| Masters of Formula 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 2nd | ||
| GP3 Series | Koiranen GP | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26th | |
| 2017 | GP3 Series | Arden International | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 63 | 10th |
| 2018 | GP3 Series | MP Motorsport | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 17th |
| FIA Formula 2 Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24th | ||
| 2019 | FIA Formula 3 Championship | Trident | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 12th |
| Formula Regional European Championship | KIC Motorsport | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 15th | |
| 2020 | European Le Mans Series - LMP3 | Eurointernational | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 55 | 4th |
| 2022 | FIA Formula 3 Championship | Jenzer Motorsport | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30th |
Complete SMP F4 Championship results edit
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | AHV 1 2 |
AHV 2 Ret |
AHV 3 2 |
MSC1 1 2 |
MSC1 2 1 |
MSC1 3 2 |
SOC 1 1 |
SOC 2 1 |
SOC 3 4 |
ALA 1 2 |
ALA 2 2 |
ALA 3 2 |
AUD1 1 2 |
AUD1 2 2 |
AUD1 3 1 |
MSC2 1 1 |
MSC2 2 1 |
MSC2 3 1 |
AUD2 1 2 |
AUD2 2 2 |
AUD2 3 2 |
1st | 449 |
Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results edit
(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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Motopark | Volkswagen | LEC 1 8 |
LEC 2 16 |
LEC 3 15 |
HUN 1 2 |
HUN 2 Ret |
HUN 3 8 |
PAU 1 19 |
PAU 2 11 |
PAU 3 8 |
RBR 1 20 |
RBR 2 3 |
RBR 3 8 |
NOR 1 2 |
NOR 2 12 |
NOR 3 Ret |
ZAN 1 6 |
ZAN 2 11 |
ZAN 3 11 |
SPA 1 11 |
SPA 2 10 |
SPA 3 7 |
NÜR 1 8 |
NÜR 2 10 |
NÜR 3 3 |
IMO 1 1 |
IMO 2 9 |
IMO 3 Ret |
HOC 1 14 |
HOC 2 12 |
HOC 3 13 |
10th | 129 |
Complete GP3 Series results edit
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Koiranen GP | CAT FEA |
CAT SPR |
RBR FEA |
RBR SPR |
SIL FEA |
SIL SPR |
HUN FEA |
HUN SPR |
HOC FEA |
HOC SPR |
SPA FEA Ret |
SPA SPR 14 |
MNZ FEA |
MNZ SPR |
SEP FEA |
SEP SPR |
YMC FEA |
YMC SPR |
26th | 0 |
| 2017 | Arden International | CAT FEA 15 |
CAT SPR 14 |
RBR FEA Ret |
RBR SPR 18 |
SIL FEA 5 |
SIL SPR 3 |
HUN FEA 9 |
HUN SPR 6 |
SPA FEA 9 |
SPA SPR 9 |
MNZ FEA 15† |
MNZ SPR C |
JER FEA 6 |
JER SPR 19 |
YMC FEA 1 |
YMC SPR 13 |
10th | 63 | ||
| 2018 | MP Motorsport | CAT FEA Ret |
CAT SPR 6 |
LEC FEA DSQ |
LEC SPR Ret |
RBR FEA 11 |
RBR SPR 8 |
SIL FEA 11 |
SIL SPR Ret |
HUN FEA Ret |
HUN SPR Ret |
SPA FEA 14 |
SPA SPR 12 |
MNZ FEA 10 |
MNZ SPR 10 |
SOC FEA |
SOC SPR |
YMC FEA |
YMC SPR |
17th | 6 |
† Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results edit
(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 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | MP Motorsport | BHR FEA |
BHR SPR |
BAK FEA |
BAK SPR |
CAT FEA |
CAT SPR |
MON FEA |
MON SPR |
LEC FEA |
LEC SPR |
RBR FEA |
RBR SPR |
SIL FEA |
SIL SPR |
HUN FEA |
HUN SPR |
SPA FEA |
SPA SPR |
MNZ FEA |
MNZ SPR |
SOC FEA Ret |
SOC SPR Ret |
YMC FEA 15 |
YMC SPR Ret |
24th | 0 |
Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results edit
(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 | 17 | 18 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Trident | CAT FEA 8 |
CAT SPR 3 |
LEC FEA 18 |
LEC SPR 24† |
RBR FEA 11 |
RBR SPR 8 |
SIL FEA 18 |
SIL SPR 19 |
HUN FEA 14 |
HUN SPR 12 |
SPA FEA 19 |
SPA SPR Ret |
MNZ FEA Ret |
MNZ SPR 15 |
SOC FEA 3 |
SOC SPR 5 |
12th | 36 | ||
| 2022 | Jenzer Motorsport | BHR SPR 26 |
BHR FEA 14 |
IMO SPR |
IMO FEA |
CAT SPR |
CAT FEA |
SIL SPR |
SIL FEA |
RBR SPR |
RBR FEA |
HUN SPR |
HUN FEA |
SPA SPR |
SPA FEA |
ZAN SPR |
ZAN FEA |
MNZ SPR |
MNZ FEA |
30th | 0 |
† Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
Complete European Le Mans Series results edit
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Eurointernational | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | Nissan VK56DE 5.6L V8 | LEC 6 |
SPA 3 |
LEC 7 |
MNZ 2 |
ALG 6 |
4th | 55 |
References edit
- ^ "NIKO KARI CLAIMS THE FIRST SMP F4 CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE". SMP F4 Championship. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
- ^ "2014 CIK-FIA European KF Championship Standings". CIK-FIA. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
- ^ "SMP F4 champion Niko Kari nearing European F3 graduation for 2016". Autosport. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
- ^ "Red Bull junior Kari handed GP3 debut at Spa". August 25, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Onko tässä Suomen seuraava F1-kuljettaja? (Is this the next Finnish F1 driver?)". November 26, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
Formula 3:n eurosarjassa Kari oli tällä kaudella vasta kymmenes voitettuaan 30 startista vain yhden, mutta ensi kaudella Kari saa paikan GP3-sarjasta. Asian vahvisti MTV Sportille Red Bullin moottoriurheilupomo Helmut Marko (Formula 3 Euro Series Kari was only tenth in this season after winning just one of 30 start-up, but the next season Kari gets a seat in the GP3 series. This interest was confirmed by MTV Intersport in Red Bull's motorsport boss Helmut Marko).
- ^ "Red Bull Juniors confirmed". 18 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Red Bull drops young talent". August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ "Kari stays in GP3 with MP Motorsport". Retrieved 2018-09-25.
- ^ a b "Kari steps up to Formula 2 with MP". Retrieved 2018-09-25.
- ^ "Niko Kari (17) ook volgend jaar in Red Bull Junior Team (Niko Kari (17) next year at Red Bull Junior Team)". November 26, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- ^ "Niko Kari lands ELMS seat after FIA F3 exit". 15 July 2020.
- ^ Wood, Ida (14 March 2022). "Niko Kari makes surprise F3 return with Jenzer Motorsport". Formula Scout. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ "Alatalo shines at the FIA F3 season start in Bahrain". Jenzer Motorsport. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ Alonso Lopez, Alejandro (19 April 2022). "Federico Malvestiti lands Jenzer seat for rest of F3 season". Formula Scout. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ "Driver Standings for the FIA Formula 3 2022 Championship". FIA_Formula 3® - The Official F3® Website. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
External links edit
- Official website
- Niko Kari career summary at DriverDB.com