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.

Rui Andrade
Andrade in 2023
NationalityAngola Angolan
Portugal Portuguese
via dual nationality
Born (1999-09-23) 23 September 1999 (age 25)
Luanda, Angola
WEC career
Debut season2021
Current teamTeam WRT
Racing licence FIA Silver
Car number41
Former teamsG-Drive Racing
Starts23
Wins4
Podiums10
Poles1
Fastest laps0
Best finish1st in 2023
Previous series
2021
20192020
2020
2019
2019
2018
Asian Le Mans Series
Euroformula Open Championship
Toyota Racing Series
Formula 4 UAE Championship
Formula Renault Eurocup
F4 Spanish Championship

Single-seater career

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Spanish F4 Championship

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Andrade'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 Championship

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Andrade 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 Series

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At 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 Championship

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Andrade'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 racing

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2021: ALMS, ELMS and Le Mans debut

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Andrade racing at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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 victory

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The 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]

 
Andrade would win the LMP2 class here at the 2023 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

2023: Return to WRT and WEC Title

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Andrade 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 switch

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Having 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 record

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Career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2018 F4 Spanish Championship Drivex School 14 0 0 0 0 43 12th
2019 Formula 4 UAE Championship Dragon Racing 20 0 0 2 6 201 5th
Euroformula Open Championship Drivex School 18 0 0 0 0 6 22nd
Formula Ford Portugal N/A 2 0 0 0 1 20 5th
Formula Renault Eurocup FA Racing by Drivex 2 0 0 0 0 0 25th
2020 Toyota Racing Series M2 Competition 15 0 0 0 0 70 16th
Euroformula Open Championship CryptoTower Racing 18 0 0 0 0 28 14th
2021 Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2 G-Drive Racing 4 0 0 0 3 66 3rd
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 6 0 0 0 1 42 8th
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2022 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 RealTeam by WRT 6 1 0 0 3 96 4th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 17th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 Tower Motorsport 4 1 0 0 3 990 12th
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Duqueine Team 1 0 0 0 0 2 24th
2023 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 Team WRT 7 3 0 0 6 173 1st
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 2nd
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Inter Europol Competition 6 0 0 0 1 33 7th
2023–24 Asian Le Mans Series - GT Dragon Racing 3 0 0 0 0 0 30th
2024 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGT3 TF Sport 8 0 0 0 1 50 10th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGT3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 15th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Lone Star Racing 5 0 0 0 0 945 38th

As Andrade was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

Complete F4 Spanish Championship results

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(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 DC Points
2018 Drivex School ARA
1
ARA
2
ARA
3
CRT
1

9
CRT
2

8
CRT
3

9
ALG
1

10
ALG
2

8
ALG
3

6
CAT
1

C
CAT
2

5
JER
1

8
JER
2

8
JER
3

9
NAV
1

13
NAV
2

8
NAV
3

5
NAV
4

10
12th 43

Complete Formula 4 UAE Championship results

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(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 DC Points
2019 Dragon Racing DUB1
1

6
DUB1
2

3
DUB1
3

4
DUB1
4

2
YMC1
1

3
YMC1
2

6
YMC1
3

4
YMC1
4

5
DUB2
1

Ret
DUB2
2

6
DUB2
3

8
DUB2
4

8
YMC2
1

3
YMC2
2

2
YMC2
3

9
YMC2
4

3
DUB3
1

4
DUB3
2

4
DUB3
3

8
DUB3
4

7
5th 201

Complete Euroformula Open Championship results

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(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 Pos Points
2019 Drivex School LEC
1

15
LEC
2

19
PAU
1

11
PAU
2

Ret
HOC
1

13
HOC
2

12
SPA
1

17
SPA
2

15
HUN
1

14
HUN
2

15
RBR
1

Ret
RBR
2

12
SIL
1

11
SIL
2

12
CAT
1

13
CAT
2

15
MNZ
1

Ret
MNZ
2

9
22nd 6
2020 CryptoTower Racing HUN
1

11
HUN
2

12
LEC
1

8
LEC
2

9
RBR
1

9
RBR
2

10
MNZ
1

10
MNZ
2

6
MNZ
3

Ret
MUG
1

13
MUG
2

12
SPA
1

11
SPA
2

8
SPA
3

10
CAT
1

9
CAT
2

12
CAT
3

9
CAT
4

10
14th 28

Complete Toyota Racing Series results

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(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 DC Points
2020 M2 Competition HIG
1

14
HIG
2

14
HIG
3

16
TER
1

15
TER
2

16
TER
3

14
HMP
1

13
HMP
2

13
HMP
3

Ret
PUK
1

9
PUK
2

9
PUK
3

15
MAN
1

16
MAN
2

18
MAN
3

Ret
16th 70

Complete Asian Le Mans Series results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 Pos. Points
2021 G-Drive Racing LMP2 Aurus 01 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DUB
1

4
DUB
2

2
ABU
1

3
ABU
2

2
3rd 66
2023–24 Dragon Racing GT Ferrari 296 GT3 Ferrari F163 3.0 L Turbo V6 SEP
1
SEP
2
DUB
14
ABU
1

12
ABU
2

12
30th 0

Complete European Le Mans Series results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points
2021 G-Drive Racing LMP2 Aurus 01 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT
7
RBR
3
LEC
10
MNZ
6
SPA
7
ALG
8
8th 42
Pro-Am Cup 2 1 2 1 2 2 1st 122
2022 Duqueine Team LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 LEC IMO MNZ CAT SPA ALG
9
24th 2
2023 Inter Europol Competition LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT
Ret
LEC
3
ARA
Ret
SPA
Ret
POR
6
ALG
4
7th 33

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
2021 G-Drive Racing LMP2 Aurus 01 Gibson GK428 4.2L V8 SPA
10
ALG MNZ LMS
Ret
BHR BHR NC† 0†
2022 RealTeam by WRT LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SEB
3
SPA
2
LMS
10
MNZ
1
FUJ
4
BHR
5
4th 96
2023 Team WRT LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SEB
4
ALG
3
SPA
1
LMS
2
MNZ
3
FUJ
1
BHR
1
1st 173
2024 TF Sport LMGT3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Chevrolet LT6.R 5.5 L V8 QAT
Ret
IMO
7
SPA
Ret
LMS
12
SÃO
8
COA
Ret
FUJ
4
BHR
2
10th 50

As Andrade was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2021   G-Drive Racing   Roberto Merhi
  John Falb
Aurus 01-Gibson LMP2
Pro-Am
108 DNF DNF
2022   RealTeam by WRT   Ferdinand Habsburg
  Norman Nato
Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 362 21st 17th
2023   Team WRT   Louis Delétraz
  Robert Kubica
Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 328 10th 2nd
2024   TF Sport   Charlie Eastwood
  Tom van Rompuy
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R LMGT3 267 43rd 15th

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points
2022 Tower Motorsport LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DAY
3†
SEB
7
LGA MDO WGL
2
ELK PET
1
12th 990
2024 Lone Star Racing GTD Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 DAY
8
SEB
18
LBH LGA WGL
20
MOS ELK VIR IMS
15
PET
10
38th 945

Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.

References

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  1. ^ "Piloto Rui Andrade coloca nome de Angola na história do automobilismo mundial". Carga Magazine (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  2. ^ "NEW RACING ROOKIES ARRIVE IN DUBAI FOR THIRD SEASON OF F4UAE". Formula 4 UAE. Archived from the original on 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  3. ^ "2020 Season Drivers". Toyota NZ.
  4. ^ "Rui Andrade signs with Drivex for Euroformula Open debut season". www.euroformulaopen.net.
  5. ^ "CryptoTower Racing Team, first Japanese team to enter the Euroformula". www.euroformulaopen.net.
  6. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (11 December 2020). "Algarve Pro Introduces New Lineup for LMP2 Title Defense – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  7. ^ "Algarve Pro Set For Asian Le Mans Title Defence With Falb, Colapinto and Andrade". Dailysportscar. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  8. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (16 May 2021). "WRT Beats G-Drive to Win Rain-Affected 4H Red Bull Ring – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  9. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (11 January 2022). "WRT Expands to Two Cars as Gelael, Realteam Join – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  10. ^ Euwema, Davey (11 July 2022). "Habsburg: Early Triple Stint Strategy "Paid Off in Long Term" – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  11. ^ Dagys, John (January 7, 2022). "Habsburg, Deletraz Headline Tower Motorsport LMP2 Lineup". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  12. ^ Euwema, Davey (2022-10-01). "MSR Captures DPi Title with Drama-Filled PLM Victory – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  13. ^ Goodwin, Graham (11 January 2023). "FIA WEC Reveal 38 Car Full Season Entry – 13 Hypercars For Breakthrough Season". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  14. ^ Brandworks.be. "WRT | Kubica and Delétraz back with ORLEN Team WRT as they join Andrade in FIA WEC bid". w-racingteam.com. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  15. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (23 March 2023). "WEC Drivers in All-New Inter Europol LMP2 Lineup". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  16. ^ "#8 Toyota Wins 6H Portimao, Five Factories In The Top Five". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  17. ^ "#7 Toyota Wins Dramatic 6H Spa". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  18. ^ "Breakthrough Victory For Inter Europol In LMP2". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  19. ^ Dagys, John (2023-09-10). "Kubica: Fuji Win Puts WRT in "Good Shape" for LMP2 Title – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  20. ^ Kilbey, Stephen (4 November 2023). "#8 Toyota Crew Crowned Champions After Dominant Bahrain Victory". dailysportscar.com.
  21. ^ Dagys, John (2023-11-04). "LMP2 Champions 'Didn't Expect' to Win Race in WRT 1-2 Finish – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  22. ^ Goodwin, Graham (20 December 2023). "Dragon Racing Confirms Asian LMS & Dubai 24 Crews". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  23. ^ "TF Sport Confirms Eastwood, Andrade & Van Rompuy". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  24. ^ Dagys, John (January 11, 2024). "Lone Star Commits to Endurance Cup With Mercedes-AMG". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers
2023
With: Robert Kubica & Louis Delétraz
Succeeded by
None
(Class discontinued)