Max Chilton

Chilton was born in Redhill and grew up in Reigate, Surrey. His father, Grahame Chilton, is a businessman who co-owned the insurance company Benfield Group until 2008. Chilton was educated at Ardingly College from 2000 to 2008. His brother, Tom Chilton, is also a racing driver.

Chilton began his racing career in karts at the age of ten, progressing through the junior ranks. He moved into T Cars in 2005, finishing eighth in his first season and third in the Autumn Trophy. He continued in T Cars in 2006, finishing as runner-up to Luciano Bacheta by three points, winning seven races to Bacheta’s six. Chilton made his debut in the British Formula 3 Championship in 2007 with Arena International, and also made a single appearance in the Star Mazda Championship at Laguna Seca.

Chilton moved to Hitech Racing for the 2008 British Formula 3 season, improving to tenth in the championship. He recorded pole positions at Monza and Rockingham, and scored two podiums. In 2009, he joined Carlin Motorsport, winning twice – at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, and in his final Formula Three race at Brands Hatch.

He graduated to the GP2 Asia Series for the 2009–10 season with Barwa Addax, then moved to Ocean Racing Technology for the 2010 GP2 Series season, achieving a highest race finish of fifth. In 2012, racing with Carlin and with backing from the Marussia Formula One team, Chilton secured his first series podium in Malaysia and his first pole position and race victory in Hungary. He finished fourth in the 2012 GP2 Series drivers’ championship (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Chilton).

Chilton was appointed Marussia F1's testing and reserve driver for the second half of the 2012 season, and competed in the first practice session at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In December 2012, he was announced as a full-time Marussia driver for 2013. Chilton finished 14th at the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix, following several retirements. He qualified sixteenth at the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix in a mixed-weather session. Chilton completed every race of his rookie Formula One season in 2013 .

The 2014 Canadian Grand Prix saw Chilton’s first retirement in Formula One, colliding with teammate Jules Bianchi on the first lap. This resulted in a three-place grid penalty for the following race. The Marussia team went into administration and then closed down later that season, ending Chilton’s Formula One career.

With no Formula One seat for 2015, Chilton joined Nissan Motorsports to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship, retiring from the 24 Hours of Le Mans due to a suspension failure. In 2016, he moved to the IndyCar Series with Chip Ganassi Racing. He led 47 of the last 72 laps of the 2017 Indianapolis 500, and a total of 50 laps, ultimately finishing fourth .

He then raced for Carlin Motorsport in IndyCar from 2018 to 2021, opting to no longer run oval races from 2019 onwards, with Conor Daly taking over those events. In February 2022, Chilton announced his retirement from IndyCar racing to concentrate on other ventures.