Adrián Campos Suñer (17 June 1960 – 27 January 2021) was a Spanish Formula One driver. He participated in 21 Grands Prix, debuting on 12 April 1987, without scoring a championship point. He later moved into team management, with more success. He was the founder of the Campos Meta Formula One team (later known as HRT), which competed in Formula One from 2010 to 2012. He founded Campos Racing in 1998.
| Born | Adrián Campos Suñer 17 June 1960 Alzira, Valencia, Spain |
|---|---|
| Died | 27 January 2021 (aged 60) Valencia, Spain |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Spanish |
| Active years | 1987 – 1988 |
| Teams | Minardi |
| Entries | 21 (17 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1987 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1988 Canadian Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
|---|---|
| Years | 1997 |
| Teams | Pilot Racing |
| Best finish | DNF |
| Class wins | 0 |
Racing career
editEarly years
editCampos' first success was in radio-controlled car racing, winning the Spanish Championship in 1980. He switched to car racing a year later, and competed in Formula Three from 1983 to 1985, finishing 3rd in the 1985 German Championship. He raced in Formula 3000 in the 1986 season, with modest success.
Formula One
editHaving done some testing for Tyrrell in 1986, Campos raced in the 1987 and 1988 F1 seasons for the Minardi team, alongside first Alessandro Nannini and then compatriot Luis Pérez-Sala. He only completed two of the 21 races he entered, although more of these were due to mechanical failures than driver errors. However, these retirements caused him to lose his motivation and in 1988, he was replaced by Pierluigi Martini after failing to qualify in three consecutive races.[1]
After Formula One
editCampos competed in Spanish Touring Cars, winning the championship in 1994. 1997 would be the last year Campos would spend as a professional driver. After some races in sports prototypes such as the Ferrari 333 SP, he would go on to form his own team as an owner.
Team management
editAfter leaving Formula One, Campos was successfully involved in team management. He founded Adrian Campos Motorsport (later renamed Campos Racing) in 1998, with Marc Gené winning the 1998 Euro Open by Nissan championship in the championship's first year before immediately reaching Formula One. He also managed Fernando Alonso in his early years.
Campos Racing entered the GP2 series when it was launched for 2005. Two fifth places were the best results that year. The team opened 2006 with a podium at Valencia for Adrian Valles, but neither he nor fellow Spaniard Félix Porteiro scored another podium all year (Portiero was second on the road at Silverstone, but a steering rack irregularity caused him to be disqualified).
The signing of veteran Giorgio Pantano for 2007 led the team forward, with Pantano scoring two victories and 3rd overall, and teammate Vitaly Petrov winning at the season finale at Valencia. For 2008 Petrov remained, with Ben Hanley replaced in the second car by Lucas di Grassi after three rounds. Di Grassi immediately recaptured his 2007 form, with three second places in his first four starts, and subsequent wins at the Hungaroring and the new Valencia Street Circuit - which represented a double for the team, as Petrov won race one, having scored just one other podium all year. The Campos team won the 2008 Teams' Championship. In October 2008, Campos announced that he planned to step down from running the GP2 team and to sell his stake in it, but would still remain involved in F3 and a new project that was unspecified.[2] The GP2 team was taken over by Alejandro Agag and renamed Barwa Addax.[3]
Formula One
editCampos had been linked to a move into Formula One, and he considered buying the assets of the defunct Super Aguri team.[4] In May 2009, Campos Grand Prix lodged an entry for the 2010 Formula One season,[5] which was one of four to be accepted.[6] The entry was successful along with Lotus F1, Manor GP & US F1. The team, which was soon renamed to Campos Meta, confirmed on 30 October 2009 that Bruno Senna, who is Ayrton Senna's nephew, would be one of their drivers on the grid in 2010.
In February 2010, with the Campos team struggling financially, a rescue deal was completed whereby shareholder José Ramón Carabante took over full control of the team. As part of the restructuring, Campos was replaced as team principal by Colin Kolles.[7] The team was renamed Hispania Racing (or HRT F1), with Campos taking the role of executive vice-president.
Personal life
editHis maternal grandfather Luis Suñer was a noted industrialist in Spain.[8] His father founded the Avidesa frozen food company. He has a son whose name is also Adrián Campos Jr.[9]
Campos died on 27 January 2021, aged 60, due to an aortic dissection.[10][11]
Campos' home circuit of Circuit Ricardo Tormo has named its final turn after Campos.
Racing record
editComplete International Formula 3000 results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Barron Racing | Tyrrell 012 | Cosworth | SIL | THR | EST | NÜR C |
VAL | PAU | SPA | DIJ | PER | ÖST | ZAN | DON | NC | 0 |
| 1986 | Peter Gethin Racing | March 86B | Cosworth | SIL 16 |
VAL DNQ |
PAU Ret |
SPA DNQ |
IMO Ret |
MUG DNS |
PER DNQ |
ÖST | BIR | NC | 0 | |||
| Lola Motorsport | Lola T86/50 | Cosworth | BUG Ret |
JAR 7 |
|||||||||||||
Complete Formula One results
edit(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Minardi Team | Minardi M187 | MM V6 (t/c) | BRA DSQ |
SMR Ret |
BEL Ret |
MON DNS |
DET Ret |
FRA Ret |
GBR Ret |
GER Ret |
HUN Ret |
AUT Ret |
ITA Ret |
POR Ret |
ESP 14 |
MEX Ret |
JPN Ret |
AUS Ret |
NC | 0 |
| 1988 | Lois Minardi Team | Minardi M188 | Cosworth V8 | BRA Ret |
SMR 16 |
MON DNQ |
MEX DNQ |
CAN DNQ |
DET | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | POR | ESP | JPN | AUS | NC | 0 |
24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 |  Pilot Racing
|
Michel Ferté Charlie Nearburg
|
Ferrari 333 SP | LMP | 18 | DNF | DNF |
References
edit- ^ "Campos: we're aiming to finish inside the top ten". formula1.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ "Campos steps down from GP2 team". autosport.com. 13 October 2008. Archived from the original on 15 October 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
- ^ "Renamed Addax team sign Grosjean". autosport.com. 26 February 2009. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- ^ "F1 : Adrian Campos interested in buying Super Aguri Formula 1 assets". F1sa.com. 7 July 2008. Archived from the original on 3 May 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
- ^ Elizalde, Pablo (22 May 2009). "Campos's team lodges F1 entry". autosport.com. Haymarket. Archived from the original on 24 May 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (12 June 2009). "FIA announces 2010 F1 entry list". autosport.com. Haymarket. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
- ^ Elizalde, Pablo (19 February 2010). "Carabante takes over Campos team". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
- ^ "Adrian Campos Suner". Grandprix.com. Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
- ^ "Official website of Adrián Campos Jr". Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
- ^ Cooper, Adam (28 January 2021). "Adrian Campos obituary: Ex-F1 driver and F2 team boss dies aged 60". Autosport.com. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "Adrián Campos Suñer, Campos Racing Chairman and Founder, passes away". camposracing.com. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Adrian Campos Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "Adrian Campos". Motor Sport. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ Small, Steve (2000). "Adrian Campos". Grand Prix Who's Who (Third ed.). Reading, Berkshire: Travel Publishing. pp. 118–119. ISBN 978-1-902007-46-5. Retrieved 7 August 2023 – via Internet Archive.