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| James Calado | |
|---|---|
 Calado in 2023 | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Born | (1989-06-13)13 June 1989 (age 36) Cropthorne, Worcestershire, England |
| WEC career | |
| Debut season | 2014 |
| Current team | FerrariAF Corse |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Car number | 51 |
| Starts | 84 |
| Wins | 15 |
| Poles | 7 |
| Fastest laps | 3 |
| Best finish | 1st in2017,2021,2022,2025 |
| Previous series | |
| 2012–2013 2011 2010 2009 2008–09 2008 2008 2008 | GP2 Series GP3 Series British Formula 3 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Formula Renault 2.0 UK FR2.0 Portugal Winter Series FR2.0 UK Winter Series Formula Renault 2.0 NEC |
| Championship titles | |
| 2025 2022 2021 2017 2008 2008 | FIA World Endurance Championship GT World Endurance Championship FR2.0 Portugal Winter Series FR2.0 UK Winter Series |
James John Calado (born 13 June 1989) is aBritish professional racing driver fromEngland who is competing in theFIA World Endurance Championship withFerrari -AF Corse in the Hypercar class and other selected GT races forAF Corse. He won the2025 FIA World Endurance Championship in the Hypercar class and the LMGTE Pro class of the2017 FIA World Endurance Championship and2019 24 Hours of Le Mans, and overall victory in the2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. He drove for PanasonicJaguar Racing inFormula E. His career has been funded by theRacing Steps Foundation.[1]
Born inCropthorne,Worcestershire, Calado had an extensive karting career, starting out at Cadets level in 1999. After being a member of the 2000 championship-winning England Inter-Nations Cadet Team, Calado won the British Cadet Championship in 2001, and also finished runner-up toDaniel Rowbottom in the Super 1 Cadet series, losing out by thirteen points. In 2002, Calado stepped up to TKM Juniors, finishing fifth in the Super 1 championship. 2003 saw Calado contest pan-European series for the first time, driving a Gillard Parilla kart for the PDB Racing Team in theICA Junior class. He finished runner-up to Nicholas Risitano in the European Championship, beating futureFormula One driversSébastien Buemi andJaime Alguersuari.
He moved to Tony Kart for the 2004 season, and once again finished in the top three of the European Championship; this time finishing third behindStefano Coletti andJules Bianchi. He also finished fifth in the Andrea Margutti Trophy, and ninth in the Italian Open Masters. He moved up to theICA class in 2005, and won the European Championship ahead of his future team-mateJean-Éric Vergne, and also finished runner-up toArmando Parente in the Italian Open Masters. He returned to the UK to contest the Renault Elite League in the Super Libre class, finishing seventh in the championship.
Calado moved into the top class of international karting in 2006, moving into theFormula A class. Sixth in the Italian Open Masters, Calado went toMacau for the International Kart Grand Prix, where he finished as runner-up toMichael Christensen. His final season of karting, in 2007, saw his fourth top-five placing in the European Championship, as well as a third-place finish in the Margutti Trophy. He also placed ninth in the South Garda Winter Cup.
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Calado moved into theBritish Formula Renault Championship for the2008 season, driving forFortec Motorsport.[2] With no prior single-seater experience, Calado was placed into the Graduate Cup for first-year drivers. Calado finished runner-up to Dean Stoneman in that championship, and he finished seventh in the overall championship. He took two pole positions atSnetterton andOulton Park, with one victory coming at Snetterton from that pole. He also earned three other podium placings throughout the season. Calado also contested two rounds of theFormula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup atZolder andSpa-Francorchamps. He earned two top-five finishes en route to finishing 25th in the overall championship standings, amassing 38 points. At the conclusion of the season, Calado enter the Winter Series of both the British and Portuguese Formula Renault championships. Over the two championships' eight total races, Calado took five pole positions, six fastest laps and five victories en route to both championships; holdingHenry Surtees off by just three points in the British Winter Series.[3]
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Calado continued in the British series for the2009 season, staying with Fortec for his sophomore campaign.[4] Calado and Alpine Motorsport's Stoneman, both in their second season and boasting victories in their début season in the series, with pre-season testing further backing media predictions that the championship would most likely be decided between the pair.[5] Calado was the most successful driver in the series, taking a total of eight victories, winning races at seven of the championship's ten meetings during the season. He also earned ten pole positions, and set the fastest lap of the race on seven occasions. However, retirements atThruxton, Oulton Park andCroft took the title out of the hands of Calado and into the hands ofDean Smith, who joined the series at the second round of the championship. Calado ultimately finished as runner-up behind Smith, 34 points behind theWolverhampton driver. Calado also contested three rounds of theEurocup Formula Renault 2.0 for Fortec, competing inBarcelona, Spa andLe Mans. He finished seventeenth in the championship, amassing ten points from a fifth in Barcelona and seventh at Spa. He lost a podium finish at Barcelona due to a puncture with two laps remaining,[6] which could have ultimately turned into a win after the post-race disqualification of winnerAlbert Costa.[7]
Calado moved into theBritish Formula 3 Championship for the2010 season, as part of a six-car title challenge byCarlin.[1] He was the second RSF-funded driver to drive for the team, afterOliver Turvey finished runner-up in the2008 championship. He took five victories to finish second in the championship, behind runaway leaderJean-Éric Vergne.
Calado moved up to theGP3 Series for2011, driving for theLotus ART team alongsidePedro Nunes,Richie Stanaway andValtteri Bottas. In a successful season for ART, Bottas won the championship whilst Calado backed him up with second in the drivers' standings, taking a single win atValencia and five further podium finishes. ART also won the teams' championship.
Calado made hisGP2 Series début by driving for ART in the non-championship race atYas Marina which concluded the2011 season. He had a victorious race in the sprint race, the second race of the weekend. He joined theLotus-branded team full-time for the2012 season, alongside second-year driverEsteban Gutiérrez.[8] He continued his form from the non-championship race by winning the sprint race of the first round of the season inMalaysia. After taking pole positions for the Spanish rounds atCatalunya andValencia, but not being able to convert them into victories, he won his second race of the season atHockenheim. At this stage of the championship, he was third in the drivers' standings, but a poor run in the final four races—after crashing in practice atMonza and suffering from food poisoning inSingapore saw him overhauled by team-mate Gutiérrez and compatriotMax Chilton. Nevertheless, his fifth place in the championship meant that he finished the season as the series' most successful rookie driver, ahead ofFelipe Nasr in tenth position.Autosport magazine rated Calado as the GP2 season's best driver, due to his inexperience compared to the drivers who finished ahead of him in the championship.[9]
Lotus GP became ART once again for the2013 season and he was joined by rookieDaniel Abt. A consistent season saw him claim two sprint race wins and another five podiums meant he finished third in the standings on 157 points but quite a distance behind the top twoFabio Leimer andSam Bird.
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Partway through the 2013 season, Formula One teamForce India selected him for the Young Driver's test in July, held atSilverstone.[10] He had a successful test, setting the fourth fastest time on the first day.[10] As a result of this, and his good GP2 form, Force India announced that they had selected Calado as their third driver for theItalian Grand Prix on 2 September 2013, and that he would run in the first practice session.[11]
In June 2019, Calado partook in testing sessions withPanasonic Jaguar Racing.[12]
On 2 October 2019, it was announced that Calado would partnerMitch Evans in the Panasonic Jaguar team, replacingAlex Lynn.[13]
He made his debut with the team at the2019 Diriyah ePrix, crashing during qualifying for the first race & finishing 16th. He struggled during qualifying the following day but showed excellent race pace & in a race of attrition stayed out of the carnage to record his first points in 7th. He continued his points-scoring form at the next race inSantiago, where he finished in 8th. He would have finished in 9th at the2020 Mexico City ePrix, but was later disqualified for a technical issue. He lacked pace inMarrakesh despite qualifying well & dropped to 16th position.
For 2014, Calado joined Italian Davide Rigon atAF Corse, making his debut at the6 Hours of Silverstone where the pair finished in 5th position behind their teammates, FinnToni Vilander and ItalianGianmaria Bruni. Calado and Rigon celebrated a podium in the second race of the season at the6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. For Calado it was his first podium in sports cars. For 2016 he joins Italian Gianmaria Bruni.
In 2017 is joined by Alessandro Pier Guidi and won the world championship. In 2019 he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans together with Pier Guidi and Daniel Serra behind the wheel of the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo. In 2021 he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second time, together with Pier Guidi and Ledogar
He made his debut in 2016 24 Hours of Daytona with the Ferrari 488 GTE of SMP Racing and take part in some selected races in following years, all with Risi Competizione. He won the 2016 and 2019 Petit Le Mans with the 488 GTE and scored podiums at 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring
Going into the 2023 season, Calado would join theFerrariHypercar project run byAF Corse, competing in theWEC with aFerrari 499P alongsideAlessandro Pier Guidi andAntonio Giovinazzi.[14] With a third place atSpa, where Calado overtookFrédéric Makowiecki on the final lap, and a victory at the24 Hours of Le Mans — Ferrari's first in 50 years — the #51 crew finished fourth in the standings, being beaten to third by the sister car.[15][16]
Alongside Pier Guidi and Giovinazzi, Calado won the2025 FIA World Endurance Championship Drivers and Manufacturers Championship with Ferrari.[17][18]
* Season still in progress.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Fortec Motorsport | BRH 1 14 | BRH 2 14 | ROC 1 13 | ROC 2 8 | DON 1 5 | DON 2 14 | THR 1 3 | THR 2 9 | CRO 4 | SIL 1 3 | SIL 2 9 | SNE 1 4 | SNE 2 1 | SNE 3 2 | OUL 1 12 | OUL 2 4 | SIL 1 Ret | SIL 2 Ret | BRH 1 13 | BRH 2 9 | 7th | 292 |
| 2009 | Fortec Motorsport | BHI 1 5 | BHI 2 1 | THR 1 1 | THR 2 Ret | DON 1 26 | DON 2 1 | OUL 1 Ret | OUL 2 4 | CRO 1 1 | CRO 2 Ret | SIL 1 2 | SIL 2 2 | SNE 1 1 | SNE 2 3 | SIL 1 1 | SIL 2 1 | ROC 1 2 | ROC 2 4 | BHGP 1 8 | BHGP 2 1 | 2nd | 457 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Fortec Motorsports | CAT 1 25† | CAT 2 5 | SPA 1 11 | SPA 2 7 | HUN 1 | HUN 2 | SIL 1 | SIL 2 | LMS 1 18 | LMS 2 11 | NÜR 1 | NÜR 2 | ALC 1 | ALC 2 | 17th | 10 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| 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 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Carlin | OUL 1 Ret | OUL 2 11 | OUL 3 6 | SIL1 1 1 | SIL1 2 9 | SIL1 3 1 | MAG 1 6 | MAG 2 DNS | MAG 3 4 | HOC 1 4 | HOC 2 6 | HOC 3 6 | ROC 1 4 | ROC 2 6 | ROC 3 3 | SPA 1 2 | SPA 2 4 | SPA 3 2 | THR 1 1 | THR 2 2 | THR 3 3 | SIL2 1 1 | SIL2 2 5 | SIL2 3 4 | SNE 1 8 | SNE 2 7 | SNE 3 3 | BRH 1 2 | BRH 2 5 | BRH 3 1 | 2nd | 293 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Lotus ART | IST FEA 27 | IST SPR 13 | CAT FEA 2 | CAT SPR 21 | VAL FEA 8 | VAL SPR 1 | SIL FEA 6 | SIL SPR 5 | NÜR FEA 4 | NÜR SPR 6 | HUN FEA 25 | HUN SPR 3 | SPA FEA 2 | SPA SPR 2 | MNZ FEA 2 | MNZ SPR 14 | 2nd | 55 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Lotus GP | SEP FEA 8 | SEP SPR 1 | BHR1 FEA 5 | BHR1 SPR 3 | BHR2 FEA 16 | BHR2 SPR 12 | CAT FEA 2 | CAT SPR 4 | MON FEA 7 | MON SPR Ret | VAL FEA 8 | VAL SPR 2 | SIL FEA Ret | SIL SPR 20† | HOC FEA 8 | HOC SPR 1 | HUN FEA 4 | HUN SPR 6 | SPA FEA 2 | SPA SPR 3 | MNZ FEA 12 | MNZ SPR 14 | MRN FEA Ret | MRN SPR 10 | 5th | 160 |
| 2013 | ART Grand Prix | SEP FEA 2 | SEP SPR Ret | BHR FEA 12 | BHR SPR 5 | CAT FEA Ret | CAT SPR 11 | MON FEA 5 | MON SPR 5 | SIL FEA 9 | SIL SPR 3 | NÜR FEA 2 | NÜR SPR 2 | HUN FEA 9 | HUN SPR 6 | SPA FEA 8 | SPA SPR 1 | MNZ FEA 6 | MNZ SPR 26 | MRN FEA 3 | MRN SPR 19 | YMC FEA 6 | YMC SPR 1 | 3rd | 157 | ||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Lotus ART | YMC FEA 8 | YMC SPR 1 | 5th | 7 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicates fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Sahara Force India F1 Team | Force IndiaVJM06 | Mercedes FO 108Z 2.4V8 | AUS | MAL | CHN | BHR | ESP | MON | CAN | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA TD | SIN | KOR TD | JPN | IND TD | ABU TD | USA | BRA TD | - | - |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |  AF Corse | Davide Rigon Olivier Beretta | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | GTE Pro | 332 | 21st | 2nd |
| 2016 | AF Corse | Gianmaria BruniAlessandro Pier Guidi | Ferrari 488 GTE | GTE Pro | 179 | DNF | DNF |
| 2017 | AF Corse | Michele RugoloAlessandro Pier Guidi | Ferrari 488 GTE | GTE Pro | 312 | 46th | 11th |
| 2018 | AF Corse |  Daniel SerraAlessandro Pier Guidi | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Pro | 339 | 22nd | 7th |
| 2019 | AF Corse | Daniel SerraAlessandro Pier Guidi | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Pro | 342 | 20th | 1st |
| 2020 | AF Corse | Daniel SerraAlessandro Pier Guidi | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Pro | 346 | 21st | 2nd |
| 2021 | AF Corse |  Côme LedogarAlessandro Pier Guidi | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Pro | 345 | 20th | 1st |
| 2022 | AF Corse | Alessandro Pier GuidiDaniel Serra | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Pro | 350 | 29th | 2nd |
| 2023 | FerrariAF Corse | Antonio GiovinazziAlessandro Pier Guidi | Ferrari 499P | Hypercar | 342 | 1st | 1st |
| 2024 | FerrariAF Corse | Antonio GiovinazziAlessandro Pier Guidi | Ferrari 499P | Hypercar | 311 | 3rd | 3rd |
| 2025 | FerrariAF Corse | Antonio GiovinazziAlessandro Pier Guidi | Ferrari 499P | Hypercar | 387 | 3rd | 3rd |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | JMW Motorsport | LMGTE | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F136 4.5 L V8 | SIL | IMO | RBR | LEC | EST Ret | 18th | 0 | |
| 2025 | Kessel Racing | LMGT3 | Ferrari 296 GT3 | Ferrari F163CE 3.0 L Turbo V6 | CAT | LEC 9 | IMO | SPA 3 | SIL | ALG | 15th | 17 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Powertrain | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Panasonic Jaguar Racing | SparkSRT05e | Jaguar I-Type 4 | DIR 16 | DIR 7 | SCL 8 | MEX DSQ | MRK 16 | BER 15 | BER 20 | BER Ret | BER 17 | BER | BER | 19th | 10 |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Formula Renault UK Winter Cup Champion 2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Inaugural | Formula Renault Portugal Winter Series Champion 2008 | Succeeded by None (Series ended) |
| Preceded by | World Endurance GT Drivers' Championship Champion 2017 With:Alessandro Pier Guidi | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Jesse Krohn Jun-San Chen | Asian Le Mans Series GT Champion 2018–19 With:Kei Cozzolino & Takeshi Kimura | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | World Endurance GT Drivers' Championship Champion 2021-2022 With:Alessandro Pier Guidi | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2023 With:Antonio Giovinazzi &Alessandro Pier Guidi | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | World Endurance Championship Champion 2025 With:Antonio Giovinazzi &Alessandro Pier Guidi | Succeeded by Incumbent |
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| Personnel | Onofrio Triarsi Jr. (owner) |
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