Alexander Rossi (racing driver)

Skip Barber

In 2005, after becoming IKF Grand National Champion in the 100cc Yamaha class, Auburn-born Rossi was semi-finalist in the Red Bull Formula One American Drivers search with a top 5 finish overall out of over 2,000 nationwide candidates.

In 2006 he was awarded the Skip Barber National Scholarship from Skip Barber Racing School to compete in the 2006 Skip Barber National Championship, where he finished third overall and became the youngest winner in Skip Barber National Championship history, at age 14.

Formula BMW

Rossi competed in the Formula BMW USA series in 2007, finishing third overall in the championship, with three wins and five podiums while driving for Team Apex Racing, USA.

For 2008, Rossi returned for his sophomore year with the two-time Formula BMW championship-winning team EuroInternational. He won the overall championship, becoming the first American Formula BMW Champion in the Americas Championship, with ten wins from the fifteen races run.

Rossi completed the season as World Champion, winning the 2008 Formula BMW World Final at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico City, beating the rookie Michael Christensen. Rossi was awarded a Formula One test with BMW Sauber F1 Team, along with European champion Esteban Gutierrez.

International Formula Master

Rossi decided to move to compete in Europe in 2009. He chose to compete in the International Formula Master with Hitech Racing. After two rounds, Rossi moved over to ISR Racing for the remainder of the season. Rossi won three races over the course of the season, all coming during reverse-grid races. The wins at Brno, Spa and Imola gave Rossi the second-highest tally of victories during the 2009 season, with Fabio Leimer (seven) winning more. Coupled with Pal Varhaug's sixth place in the final race at Imola, Rossi moved up to fourth overall in the championship, and the highest-placed rookie driver.

GP3 Series

In 2010, Rossi made the move to the new GP3 Series, competing for multiple-championship-winning team ART Grand Prix. He joined Pedro Nunes and Esteban Gutierrez at the team, winning twice and finishing fourth in the series.

World Series by Renault

After a season in GP3, Rossi moved on to compete in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series with Fortec Motorsport. He was joined at the team by Brazilian driver and Italian Formula Three Champion Cesar Ramos. He won the opening race of the season in Aragon and the second race at Le Castellet, and eventually finished third in the championship– and top rookie driver– behind Carlin drivers Robert Wickens and Jean-Eric Vergne.

Rossi stayed in the series for the 2012 season, but switched to newcomers Arden Caterham Motorsport, partnering Red Bull-backed driver Lewis Williamson.

GP2 Series

Rossi competed in the 2009–10 GP2 Asia Series. Having competed for Ocean Racing Technology at the first Abu Dhabi round, Rossi moved to Team Meritus for the remaining rounds. Rossi made a strong impression immediately finishing fourth in his debut race, from thirteenth on the grid. Rossi was only the second American to compete at GP2 level, preceded by Scott Speed who raced in Formula One with Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2006 and 2007. Rossi finished ninth in the championship standings.

After his stint at the Formula Renault 3.5, Rossi made his GP2 Series debut in the Bahrain round in 2013 after replacing Chinese driver Ma Qinghua, he finished 3rd in his debut race. On July 16, 2014, Rossi announced he had departed Caterham's GP2 team, and later joined Campos Racing at the Hockenheimring, replacing Kimiya Sato. He will join Racing Engineering for the 2015 season opposite British rookie Jordan King.

Formula One

Rossi was one of three drivers linked to US-based Formula One team US F1 along with Jose Maria Lopez and Jonathan Summerton. Rossi was contracted to be the reserve and test driver before the team folded. He has also tested the 2009-spec BMW Sauber F1.09 Formula One car as part of Formula One's young driver test in Jerez. This was earned for winning the Formula BMW World Final. This test earned Rossi his FIA Super License and currently he is the only American to hold one. On March 9, 2012 he was announced as a test driver for the Caterham F1 team, alongside reserve driver Giedo van der Garde. At the Spanish round he drove Heikki Kovalainen's car in the first practice session, becoming the first American to drive in a Formula One session (during a race weekend) since Scott Speed at the 2007 European Grand Prix. In 2013 he drove the Caterham in the first practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix and at Silverstone in July for the young driver test. In 2014 he drove the Caterham in the first practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix. On July 16, 2014, Rossi announced that he had left Caterham following the departure of Tony Fernandes and the entrance of new Swiss and Middle Eastern investors. On July 24, Marussia F1 announced that Rossi would join the team as reserve driver for the remainder of the season.

On August 21, 2014, Marussia announced that Rossi would make his Formula One debut at that weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, replacing British driver Max Chilton. However on August 22, 2014, that decision was reversed.

Marussia entered Rossi to replace the injured Jules Bianchi at the 2014 Russian Grand Prix. but later decided to only run a single car for Chilton.

Rossi made his F1 debut with Marussia at the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix.

Marussia (2015)

On September 16, 2015, it was announced that Rossi would be driving for Marussia F1 alongside Will Stevens for five out of the last seven Grands Prix of the 2015 season starting with the Singapore Grand Prix until the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Rossi qualified 20th and last for his debut, but rallied to finish 14th, 14 seconds ahead of Stevens, despite losing radio communication with his crew around the halfway point of the Grand Prix.

Career summary

† – As Rossi was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

Complete GP3 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete GP2 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete GP2 Asia Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

^† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicates fastest lap)