Martin Cao

Martin Cao
Nationality	Chinese
Born	17 February 1993 Hunan, China
British Formula 3 Championship career
Debut season	2014
Current team	Fortec Motorsports
Car no.	57
Starts	21
Wins	4
Poles	4
Fastest laps	1
Best finish	1st in 2014
Previous series
2012–13 2012–13 2008, 10–11 2008–09 2008	Protyre FR Autumn Cup Protyre Formula Renault Asian Formula Renault Challenge Formula BMW Pacific FF Campus China
Championship titles
2014 2008	British Formula 3 FF Campus China

Hong Wei "Martin" Cao (born 17 February 1993) is a Chinese racing driver. He is the current British Formula 3 champion.

Career

Asian championships

Born in Hunan, Cao started his racing career in 2008 in the Chinese Formula Ford Campus Championship. He won five races and clinched the championship with an advantage of seven points.^[1] Also in 2008, Cao finished third with seven podiums in the Asian Formula Renault Challenge and also contested two races of the Formula BMW Pacific Championship, with Pacific Racing.^[2]

In 2009, Cao remained in Formula BMW Pacific but switched to Ao's Racing. He had six point-scoring finishes in nine races, finishing twelfth in the championship.^[3]

In 2010, Cao returned to the Asian Formula Renault Challenge with the FRD Racing Team. He won five out of the six races he contested – one more than champion Sandy Stuvik – and finished fourth in the championship.^[4]

Protyre Formula Renault

In 2012, Cao moved to Europe and joined Fortec Motorsports to compete in Formula Renault BARC.^[5] He finished nine races in the points to take fourteenth position in the championship, with 100 points.^[6] He also finished fifth in the 2012 Formula Renault BARC Winter Series.^[7]

Cao remained with Fortec into 2013, staying in the newly renamed Protyre Formula Renault Championship.^[8] He won a race at Rockingham and finished fourth in the final championship standings.^[9] He finished runner-up to Ben Barnicoat in the Protyre Formula Renault Autumn Cup at Rockingham, winning one of the event's three races.^[10]

British Formula 3 Championship

Cao continued his collaboration with Fortec into the British Formula 3 Championship in 2014.^[11] He finished fifteen races on the podium, including four wins. He battled with his teammate Matt Rao for the title, and clinched the championship by just two points, ahead of Rao.^[12]

Racing record

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2008	Ford Formula Campus Championship — China Category	Baleno Team	8	5	2	4	6	58	1st
	Asian Formula Renault Challenge	Pekka Saarinen Racing	13	0	0	0	7	231	3rd
	Formula BMW Pacific	Pacific Racing	2	0	0	0	0	N/A	NC†
2009	Formula BMW Pacific	Ao's Racing Team	9	0	0	0	0	19	12th
2010	Asian Formula Renault Challenge	FRD Racing Team	6	5	1	3	6	155	4th
2011	Asian Formula Renault Challenge	FRD Racing Team	2	0	1	0	1	24	20th
2012	Formula Renault BARC	Fortec Motorsports	13	0	0	0	0	100	14th
	Formula Renault BARC Winter Series		4	0	0	0	1	79	5th
2013	Protyre Formula Renault Championship	Fortec Motorsports	16	1	1	0	5	296	4th
	Protyre Formula Renault Autumn Cup		3	1	0	0	2	79	2nd
2014	British Formula 3	Fortec Motorsports	21	4	9	4	11	285	1st
	Zandvoort Masters		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	6th
2015	European Formula 3 Championship	Fortec Motorsports	15	0	0	0	0	0	30th
	Macau Grand Prix		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	17th

^† As Cao was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Complete FIA European Formula 3 Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Engine	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	31	32	33	DC	Points
2015	Fortec Motorsports	Mercedes	SIL 1 23	SIL 2 17	SIL 3 23	HOC 1 18	HOC 2 18	HOC 3 21	PAU 1 21	PAU 2 16	PAU 3 24	MNZ 1 14	MNZ 2 17	MNZ 3 15	SPA 1 20	SPA 2 20	SPA 3 17	NOR 1	NOR 2	NOR 3	ZAN 1	ZAN 2	ZAN 3	RBR 1	RBR 2	RBR 3	ALG 1	ALG 2	ALG 3	NÜR 1	NÜR 2	NÜR 3	HOC 1	HOC 2	HOC 3	30th	0

References

1. "Ford Formula Campus Championship — China Category 2008 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
2. "Formula BMW Pacific 2008 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
3. "Formula BMW Pacific 2009 standings". Driver Database (driverdb.com). 3 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
4. "Formula Renault Asian Challenge 2010 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
5. "2012 is go go go!". Fortec Motorsport (WordPress). 18 January 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
6. "Formula Renault BARC 2012 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
7. "Protyre Formula Renault BARC Winter Series with Michelin 2012 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
8. "Fortec reveals four car line-up for Protyre Formula Renault". Renaultsport UK (Renault Sport). 28 January 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
9. "Protyre Formula Renault Championship 2013 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
10. "Protyre Formula Renault Championship — Autumn Cup 2013 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
11. Simmons, Marcus (5 December 2013). "Fortec signs Chinese racer Cao for British Formula 3". Autosport (Haymarket Publications). Retrieved 3 October 2014.
12. Allen, Peter (3 October 2014). "Rao wins British F3 finale at Donington, but Cao cruises to title". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

External links

• Martin Cao career summary at DriverDB.com