Michael Wainwright (racing driver)
| Michael Wainwright | |
|---|---|
 Mike Wainwright as COO of Trafigura | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Born | 25 July 1973 Worcester, United Kingdom |
| FIA World Endurance Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2016 |
| Current team | GR Racing |
| Racing licence |  FIA Bronze |
| Car number | 86 |
| Former teams | Gulf Racing |
| Starts | 44 (44 entries) |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 7th in 2016, 2017, 2018–19 |
Michael Stuart Wainwright[1] (born 25 July 1973) is a British racing driver and oil businessman who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for GR Racing.
He made his professional career at oil trading company Trafigura from 1996 to 2023, ultimately as COO of the group based in Geneva. He is listed among the 300 wealthiest individuals of Switzerland, with an estimated fortune of 300-400 millions swiss francs.[2] In 2022, following a busy year on the oil market, he acquired a property in Geneva for 49.5 million swiss francs.[3]
In December 2023, Wainwright was charged by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court and the US Department of Justice over allegations of bribing public officials in Angola and Brazil, together with two other individuals.
Racing record[edit]
Career summary[edit]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 24H Series - A2 | Team First 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| French GT Championship | Team First | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |
| FIA GT3 European Championship | Gulf Team First | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |
| 2011 | Intercontinental Le Mans Cup - LMGTE Am | Gulf AMR Middle East | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF | ||
| American Le Mans Series - GT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | ||
| 24 Hours of Dubai - A6 | Gulf Team First | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 14th | |
| 2012 | Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro-Am | Gulf Racing UK | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27th | ||
| 24 Hours of Dubai - A6 | Gulf Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF | |
| 2013 | Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro-Am | Gulf Racing UK | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| Gulf 12 Hours - GT3 Pro-Am | Gulf Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5th | |
| 2014 | European Le Mans Series - LMGTE | Gulf Racing UK | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 11th |
| 2015 | European Le Mans Series - LMGTE | Gulf Racing UK[4] | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 4th |
| 2016 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing[5] | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 7th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5th | ||
| 2017 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing[6] | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 67 | 7th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 10th | ||
| 2018 | European Le Mans Series - LMGTE | Gulf Racing UK[7] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 12th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 10th | |
| 2018–19 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing UK[8] | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 7th |
| 2019 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 8th |
| 2019–20 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 85 | 9th |
| 2020 | European Le Mans Series - GTE | Gulf Racing UK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5th | ||
| 2021 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | GR Racing[9] | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 15th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 14th | ||
| 2022 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | GR Racing[10][11] | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 10th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 4th | ||
| 2023 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | GR Racing[12] | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 6th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 3rd | ||
| 2023–24 | Asian Le Mans Series - GT | GR Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 25th |
| 2024 | European Le Mans Series - GT3 | GR Racing |
† As Wainwright was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results[edit]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Gulf Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SIL Ret |
SPA 5 |
LMS 3 |
NÜR 5 |
MEX 4 |
COA 4 |
FUJ 4 |
SHA 6 |
BHR 4 |
7th | 106 |
| 2017 | Gulf Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SIL 4 |
SPA Ret |
LMS 5 |
NÜR 5 |
MEX 3 |
COA Ret |
FUJ 4 |
SHA 2 |
BHR 5 |
6th | 97 |
| 2018–19 | Gulf Racing UK | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SPA 7 |
LMS 6 |
SIL 6 |
FUJ 4 |
SHA 9 |
SEB 4 |
SPA 7 |
LMS 4 |
7th | 79 | |
| 2019–20 | Gulf Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SIL 4 |
FUJ 8 |
SHA 9 |
BHR 3 |
COA 6 |
SPA 10 |
LMS 5 |
BHR 5 |
9th | 85 | |
| 2021 | GR Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 | SPA Ret |
ALG 8 |
MNZ 8 |
LMS 9 |
BHR 6 |
BHR 9 |
15th | 23 | |||
| 2022 | GR Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 | SEB | SPA 6 |
LMS 3 |
MNZ 12 |
FUJ 12 |
BHR 6 |
10th | 50 | |||
| 2023 | GR Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 | SEB 7 |
PRT 11 |
SPA 12 |
LMS 3 |
MNZ 3 |
FUJ 8 |
BHR 8 |
6th | 64 |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[edit]
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 |  Gulf AMR Middle East
|
 Fabien Giroix Roald Goethe
|
Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2 | GTE Am |
141 | DNF | DNF |
| 2016 | Gulf Racing
|
Ben Barker Adam Carroll
|
Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am |
328 | 33rd | 5th |
| 2017 | Gulf Racing UK
|
Ben Barker Nick Foster
|
Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am |
328 | 38th | 10th |
| 2018 | Gulf Racing
|
Ben Barker Alex Davison
|
Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am |
283 | 40th | 10th |
| 2019 | Gulf Racing
|
Ben Barker Thomas Preining
|
Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am |
331 | 38th | 8th |
| 2020 | Gulf Racing
|
Ben Barker Andrew Watson
|
Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am |
337 | 29th | 5th |
| 2021 | GR Racing
|
Ben Barker Tom Gamble
|
Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Am |
322 | 43rd | 14th |
| 2022 | GR Racing
|
Ben Barker Riccardo Pera
|
Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Am |
340 | 37th | 4th |
| 2023 | GR Racing
|
Ben Barker Riccardo Pera
|
Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Am |
312 | 29th | 3rd |
References[edit]
- ^ "Michael Stuart WAINWRIGHT". Companies House. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "300 plus riches – Michael Wainwright". Bilan (in French). 2023-11-23. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- ^ "A Genève, un pétrolier s'offre une villa à 50 millions - Le Temps" (in French). 2022-11-14. ISSN 1423-3967. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- ^ "2015 EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES — FULL SEASON ENTRY LIST" (PDF). European Le Mans Series. 5 February 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-06. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ Dagys, John. "Carroll, Barker Complete Gulf Racing UK Lineup". Sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media, LLC. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ^ "2017 FIA World Endurance Championship - Provisional Season Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Four WEC Guest Entries Make It 45 Cars For ELMS At Paul Ricard". dailysportscar.com. Dailysportscar. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (19 March 2018). "Davison Completes Gulf Racing Lineup". Sportscar365. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (21 January 2021). "WEC Reveals 33-Car Season Entry for 2021". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ Plümer, Jonas (9 February 2022). "FIA WEC: GR Racing präsentiert 2022er Aufgebot". GT-Place.com (in German). Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- ^ "Looped crew at GR Racing". endurance-info.com (in French). 8 February 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
- ^ Goodwin, Graham (11 January 2023). "FIA WEC Reveal 38 Car Full Season Entry – 13 Hypercars For Breakthrough Season". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 11 January 2023.