Filipe Albuquerque

Albuquerque began his motor racing career in karting in 1993. He won two national karting titles before progressing to single-seater racing with the support of Red Bull. He recalled that his start in karting was initially “as a joke, but it quickly became more and more serious.” Albuquerque acknowledged the importance of Red Bull’s support, stating, “Without Red Bull I would probably be at home studying.”

Albuquerque’s single-seater career began in Spanish Formula Three, supported by Red Bull. He then moved to Formula Renault, becoming a permanent replacement driver after another driver was fired from Red Bull. Albuquerque was the fastest driver for the team during a race at Zolder, securing his place. In 2006, he won the Formula Renault Eurocup and North European Formula Renault championships. He finished sixth in the Spanish Formula Three championship, fifth in the Formula Renault Eurocup and third in the Formula Renault Germany series, achieving the highest rookie position in all three championships.

In 2007, Albuquerque competed in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series championship with Epsilon Euskadi, finishing fourth in the drivers’ championship. He also made a one-off appearance in the GP2 Series at Silverstone, substituting for Ernesto Viso. He continued in Formula Renault 3.5 in 2008, but focused on the A1 Grand Prix series after only four races.

Albuquerque’s A1 GP début came in the 2007–08 season, replacing João Urbano at A1 Team Portugal. He consistently scored points, including three podium finishes, helping the team to eleventh in the championship. He returned as the team’s sole driver for the 2008–09 season, achieving Portugal’s first series win in China and finishing third overall. The 2009–10 season was cancelled due to financial difficulties within the series.

After the collapse of A1 GP, Albuquerque transitioned to Italian GT racing, competing in the Italian GT3 Championship with an Audi R8 LMS. He also made a guest appearance in the Superstars Series, a touring car championship, finishing second in both races driving an Audi RS4. In 2010, he was joint-runner up in the Italian GT3 Championship and won a race at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in the Superstars Series.

In 2010, Albuquerque achieved a notable victory at the Race of Champions, defeating Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel in the semi-final and multiple World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb in the final.

At the 2017 24 Hours of Daytona, Albuquerque led in the final stages of the race but lost the lead after contact with Ricky Taylor with seven minutes remaining. He pursued Taylor on the final lap but was unable to overtake, losing by 0.671 seconds.

Albuquerque competed in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) in 2011, driving a 2008-spec Audi A4. He also entered the Blancpain Endurance Series in an Audi R8, finishing second overall in the standings. In 2013, he won the GT class at the 24 Hours of Daytona driving an Audi R8 Grand-Am for Alex Job Racing. He also competed in the European Le Mans Series in 2014, finishing as runner-up in the LMP2 standings. In 2015, he made appearances in Stock Car Brasil.

Albuquerque has been recognised for his racing achievements with several titles, including the FIA WEC (LMP2) Championship (2019–20), the 24 Hours of Le Mans (LMP2) win (2020), the European Le Mans Series Championship (2020), and the Race of Champions title (2010). He also has two overall wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona (2018 and 2021) and a GTD class win (2013). He was also a North American Endurance Cup Champion in 2017.