| Caio Collet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality: |  Brazilian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Name: | Caio Jotta Collet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 3 April 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | São Paulo, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Caio Jotta Collet (born 3 April 2002) is a Brazilian racing driver who is currently competing in Indy NXT, driving for HMD Motorsports and He made his Formula E debut with Nissan Formula E Team at the 2024 Portland ePrix. He previously competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship between 2021 and 2023, and is the champion of the 2018 French F4 Championship, as well as the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup vice-champion. Collet is a former member of the Alpine Academy and the Winfield Racing School.
Collet currently serves as the reserve and simulator driver for the Nissan Formula E Team.
Collet began his career in karting at the age of seven, claiming multiple titles in his native Brazil, before moving to Europe where his performances led him to being signed to the Birel ART team in 2016 and eventually Nicolas Todt's All Road Management scheme.[1] [2] [3]
At the start of 2018 Collet made his single-seater debut for Silberpfeil Energy Dubai in the 2017–18 Formula 4 UAE Championship.[4] Collet impressed as he finished his first race in 3rd position behind Leon Köhler and David Schumacher, Collet only competed in the third and fourth rounds of the season however in those seven races he finished on the podium in every race bar one. It included winning the third race at the Yas Marina Circuit.[5] This amounted in 124 points and 6th position in the championship standings.[6]
Racing under the number 23, Collet was the only Brazilian on the French F4 grid in 2018.[7] Collet finished the first four races on the podium including taking his first of seven wins that season at the Pau Grand Prix.[8] Multiple wins followed, and Collet sat 54.5 points in the lead of the standings following Magny Cours.[9] Collet had the opportunity to win the championship a round early at Jerez, In the first race Collet took pole and slowly built is advantage over Adam Eteki who qualified second. The race ended with Collet first, title rival Arthur Leclerc second and guest driver Alessandro Ghiretti finished third. In the reverse grid race Collet started 10th due to his win the round previously where he climbed through the field to finish fifth between Ulysse de Pauw and Leclerc. A dominant final race which he won confirmed his place as champion regardless of where his rivals finished that race.[10] Collet collected 303.5 points that season along with 11 podiums and 3 pole positions, he finished with 66.5 more than closest championship rival Ugo de Wilde.[11]
Due to his success in the 2018 French F4 Championship, Collet was given a drive in the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup championship with R-ace GP alongside Oscar Piastri, Aleksandr Smolyar and Grégoire Saucy.[12] Collet finished on the podium for the first time in round three at Monaco where he finished third.[13] Collet would go on to finish the season with five podiums, the best of which was second place at Spa-Francorchamps.[14] Collet finished fifth in the standings with 207 points which was 113 points behind champion and teammate Oscar Piastri.[15]
Collet would remain with R-ace GP for the 2020 season.[16] His season started out in strong fashion, with three podiums in the first three races, which included his first Eurocup victory at the Imola Circuit.[17] Though at the third round at the Nürburgring the Brazilian missed out on the podium altogether, as his former Renault stablemate Victor Martins took both wins.[18] The next few rounds would see first and second-place finishes from Collet and Martins at Magny-Cours and Zandvoort respectively,[19] [20] [21] however, at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya the Frenchman was able to regain control of the championship with two victories.[22] The seventh event of the season at Spa-Francorchamps was even worse for Collet's title hopes, as, for the first time in four rounds he didn't end up on the rostrum, whilst his rival did.[23] In round eight at Imola Collet bounced back and won race one, but was taken out from second place on the first lap by David Vidales, losing more ground to the French ART driver.[24] [25] And although the Brazilian won race one at Hockenheim he wasn't able to get any closer to Martins in the standings, due to a mechanical issue in the second race.[26] [27] At the penultimate race of the season Martins clinched the title, with 44 points splitting Martins and Collet at the end of the year.[28] [29]
Collet competed in the 2020 Toyota Racing Series for MTEC Motorsport.[16] At the first race he almost had the perfect race with pole, fastest lap and the race win however he performed a practice start on the formation lap meaning his win was inherited to Kiwi Liam Lawson as Collet got a five-second penalty meaning he finished seventh.[30] [31] Collet eventually won a race at the next round at Teretonga Park, which was his first and only victory and podium that campaign.[32] Collet finished seventh with 219 points.[33]
In October 2020, Collet joined the post-season test at Catalunya partaking with MP Motorsport on the second day and achieving a P10 finish in the afternoon session.[34] [35] Later that month, Collet joined reigning team champions Prema Racing for the first day of the second post-season test at Jerez.[36]
On 10 February 2021, it was announced that Collet would race for MP Motorsport in the 2021 season, partnering Formula Renault title rival Victor Martins and Dutchman Tijmen van der Helm.[37] Similar to his 2020 season, Collet's campaign would start with third place in Barcelona having qualified tenth, after which he went on to score two further points finishes in that round, it being fifth and eighth place.[38] [39] The following round in France Collet qualified fifth, but had disappointing sprint races, finishing 13th in the first and stalling his car during the second.[40] However, he scored his maiden podium in a feature race, earning himself 15 points through another third place.[41] [42] At Spielberg, he improved his personal best qualifying to fourth. Just like the previous round, his Saturday was disappointing, a track limits penalty demoted him from sixth in the first race, and a mistake costed him points in the second.[43] In the feature race, Collet stalled once again, but made a sterling drive, climbing to seventh place by the chequered flag.[44]
He had a disappointing weekend in Budapest, he failed to score following a poor 26th in qualifying.[45] Collet again qualified fourth at Spa. After finishing fifth in the first race, he was penalised five seconds and dropped to ninth after being deemed to overtake off-track.[46] He would finish Race 2 and Race 3 in fourth place.[47] [48] In Zandvoort he qualified sixth, and finished all the races in the top five, but did not make the podium.[49] [50] In the Sochi finale, he scored another fifth place in Race 1 but his points streak ended due to a collision on the first lap in Race 3.[51] Collet ended his rookie F3 campaign in ninth place with 93 points and two podiums, was second-highest of all rookies, and was just four places behind teammate Martins.[52]
Collet was retained by MP Motorsport for the 2022 season, partnering Alexander Smolyar and Kush Maini, stating he aimed to "lead the team" in his sophomore season.[53] [54] Collet barely missed reverse pole in Bahrain, but managed to make his way to seventh place. His feature race was not so lucky however, as his suspension broke going off-track while avoiding a slow Zane Maloney.[55] After qualifying ninth in Imola, Collet claimed the lead of the sprint race early on, but was overtaken on the final lap by Franco Colapinto. Moments later, Collet's race came to an abrupt end after being tagged by Isack Hadjar.[56] In the feature, Collet gambled on wet tyres on a damp track to take the lead early on, but was forced to pit after the track quickly dried up. He eventually finished the race in 11th place.[57] In Barcelona, he broke his duck and scored his first podium of the year, overtaking Juan Manuel Correa with three laps to go.[58] He finished seventh in the feature race, where he started.[59]
Collet qualified fourth in Silverstone.[60] After failing to score in the sprint, Collet secured fourth place in the feature race, having lost the final podium position to Oliver Bearman on the penultimate lap.[61] After qualifying on reverse pole in Austria, despite being overtaken by Juan Manuel Correa later on the opening lap, he would be back in the lead after Correa's car. Still, a first win eluded him once Jak Crawford dispatched him on lap 14, yet the Brazilian still finished in a personal best second place.[62] However, in the feature race, after a tight battle with Zane Maloney, Collet took himself out of the race by tagging Jonny Edgar, causing a multi-car collision.[63] Collet qualified ninth in Hungary. In a wet sprint race, Collet battled with Colapinto for the lead, until a mistake from Colapinto gave Collet the lead. He duly stormed off following that, securing his maiden F3 victory by eight seconds.[64] [65]
Collet took pole for the first time in Spa-Francorchamps.[66] [67] After scoring a point in the sprint race, Collet battled with Maloney for the lead on the opening lap, where he went off-track and rejoined unsafely, earning him a five-second penalty. He eventually fell to third, and was demoted to sixth place with the penalty applied.[68] In Zandvoort, he qualified ninth and in the sprint race, made an electric start to move from fourth to second. He later dispatched Correa to take the lead, and his second win.[69] [70] In the feature race, he finished sixth, continuing his late resurgence in form.[71] In Monza, Collet started second in the sprint race, and managed to finish third after passing Jonny Edgar on the penultimate lap.[72] Collet ended the year eighth in the standings collecting 88 points, whilst amassing two wins and five podiums.[73]
Despite not appearing in the previous year's post-season test, Collet switched to Van Amersfoort Racing for his third Formula 3 season in 2023.[74] Collet started his season in Bahrain positively, with a third place during the sprint race.[75] In Melbourne he qualified in the top 10, but in the sprint race was unfortunate to be taken out whilst battling for the lead, sustaining a puncture from battling Paul Aron.[76] His woes continued on Sunday, while running in eighth place, he was hit from behind by Dino Beganovic. Collet again suffered a puncture and concluded luckless weekend in 16th.[77] Collet returned to the points in ninth during the Monaco sprint race. In the feature race, however, Collet was taken out again after contact with Sebastián Montoya while fighting for fifth.[78]
In Austria, Collet qualified in fifth. He returned to the podium in third during the sprint race, having fought past Pepe Martí and defending a charge from Zak O'Sullivan.[79] In the feature race, Collet inherited third on the last lap after Franco Colapinto and Montoya collided, concluding a successful weekend.[80] [81] In Silverstone, Collet charged from 17th to fourth during a damp race, narrowly missing a third straight podium to Christian Mansell.[82] In the feature race, he hit trouble on the opening lap, being hit by Jonny Edgar and fell to the back. He amazingly recovered to ninth, only for the points to be receded due to a penalty overtaking a car off-track.[83]
In Spa-Francorchamps, Collet shot from fourth to second in the sprint race, before sweeping past Taylor Barnard for the lead at the end of the opening lap and proceeding to win the race.[84] [85] In the feature race, Collet started on dry tyres which proved to be the wrong choice on a damp track, and he was well outside the points. However, the track dried up in the dying laps and Collet advanced to fifth place, the leading car on dry tyres, even pipping Montoya on the line.[86] Collet qualified second during the Monza finale.[87] He had a forgetful sprint race, being the cause of a multi-lap incident in which he managed to keep going, but he finished down in 19th.[88] In the feature race, he battled intensely with Jonny Edgar for the lead, but instead would slip back to fourth by the end.[89] Collet ended the year ninth in the standings with 73 points, taking a win and three other podiums.[90]
In October 2023, Collet took part in the Indy NXT's Chris Griffis Memorial Test at Indianapolis, driving for HMD Motorsports.[91] After partaking in two more pre-season tests with the team at Barber Motorsports Park and Sebring, he was announced as the final addition to HMD's nine-driver lineup for the 2024 season.[92]
In 2019, Collet was signed by the Renault Sport Academy.[93] He had his first taste of a Formula One car in the 2012 Lotus E20, during a demo run at Ibirapuera Park.[94] Collet was included in the academy's line-up when it was rebranded to the Alpine Academy in 2021.[95] At the start of 2023, Collet was dropped from the academy.[96] Despite that, Collet explained that he was "still linked to Alpine" and is "still in contact".[97]
In January 2024, Collet was named as the reserve and simulator driver for the Nissan Formula E Team.[98] He made his debut in Formula E machinery by partaking in the rookie free practice session at the 2024 Misano ePrix for Nissan.[99] Collet would further also drive for them during the Rookie Test following the Berlin ePrix at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit.[100] [101] He made his race debut at the 2024 Portland ePrix, deputising for the unwell Oliver Rowland.
Collet was born in São Paulo and labelled late three-time Formula One champion Ayrton Senna as his racing hero.[102] He has Italian and French ancestry.
| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 500 Milas de Kart — Mini Max | 2nd | |
| 500 Milas de Kart — Cadete | 2nd | ||
| 2013 | Copa Brasil de Kart — Júnior Menor | SP | 2nd |
| 2014 | Copa Brasil de Kart — Júnior Menor | 2nd | |
| Florida Winter Tour — Rotax Mini Max | 2nd | ||
| 2015 | Florida Winter Tour — Rotax Junior | 5th | |
| Florida Winter Tour — Junior ROK | 23rd | ||
| WSK Super Master Series — KFJ | Kosmic Racing Dept. | 31st | |
| CIK-FIA European Championship — KFJ | 6th | ||
| CIK-FIA World Championship — KFJ | 3rd | ||
| Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals — Junior | Renato Russo | 3rd | |
| 2016 | WSK Champions Cup — OKJ | Birel ART Racing Srl | 23rd |
| WSK Super Master Series — OKJ | 4th | ||
| CIK-FIA European Championship — OKJ | 6th | ||
| WSK Final Cup — OKJ | 27th | ||
| CIK-FIA World Championship — OKJ | NC | ||
| 2017 | South Garda Winter Cup — OK | Birel ART Racing Srl | 34th |
| WSK Champions Cup — OK | 31st | ||
| WSK Super Master Series — OK | 15th | ||
| Coupe de France — OK | 8th | ||
| CIK-FIA European Championship — OK | 28th | ||
| CIK-FIA World Championship — OK | 25th | ||
| SKUSA SuperNationals — X30 Senior | 15th |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Formula 4 UAE Championship | Silberpfeil Energy Dubai | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 124 | 6th | |
| 2018 | French F4 Championship | FFSA Academy | 20 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 303.5 | 1st | |
| ADAC F4 Championship | Prema Theodore Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 16th | ||
| 2019 | Formula Renault Eurocup | R-ace GP | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 207 | 5th | |
| 2020 | Formula Renault Eurocup | R-ace GP | 20 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 304 | 2nd | |
| Toyota Racing Series | mtec motorsport | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 219 | 7th | ||
| 2021 | FIA Formula 3 Championship | MP Motorsport | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 93 | 9th | |
| 2022 | FIA Formula 3 Championship | MP Motorsport | 18 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 88 | 8th | |
| 2023 | FIA Formula 3 Championship | Van Amersfoort Racing | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 73 | 9th | |
| 2023–24 | Formula E | Nissan Formula E Team | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28th | |
| 2024 | Indy NXT | HMD Motorsports | 10 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 328 | 3rd* |
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pos | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | nowrap | R-ace GP | MNZ 1 | MNZ 2 | SIL 1 | SIL 2 | MON 1 | MON 2 | LEC 1 | LEC 2 | SPA 1 | SPA 2 | NÜR 1 | NÜR 2 | HUN 1 | HUN 2 | CAT 1 | CAT 2 | HOC 1 | HOC 2 | YMC 1 | YMC 2 | 5th | 207 | |
| 2020 | nowrap | R-ace GP | MNZ 1 | MNZ 2 | IMO 1 | IMO 2 | NÜR 1 | NÜR 2 | MAG 1 | MAG 2 | ZAN 1 | ZAN 2 | CAT 1 | CAT 2 | SPA 1 | SPA 2 | IMO 1 | IMO 2 | HOC 1 | HOC 2 | LEC 1 | LEC 2 | 2nd | 304 |
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) (Races with L indicate a race lap led) (Races with * indicate most race laps led)
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)