# Josef Král

Josef Král (born 15 June 1990 in Dvůr Králové nad Labem) is a professional racing driver from the Czech Republic and current Formula 1 commentator on Czech TV station Nova Sport 5.

## Career
### Karting & early career

Král began his motorsport career in karting back in 1998, and during the following seven years he achieved notable success, winning the Czech Republic ICA Junior title in 2003 and the Czech ICA 100 Championship the following year, as well as numerous other titles.
In 2005, Král made his Formula Racing debut, finishing third in the Czech Formula 1400 series.

### Formula BMW

In 2006, Král made the step up to Formula BMW, competing in the German ADAC series. Driving for Micánek Motorsport, he scored forty points during the year to be classified in twelfth place. At the end of the year, Král switched to Josef Kaufmann Racing to contest the Formula BMW World Final, held in Valencia. He originally finished as runner-up to team-mate Christian Vietoris, but was subsequently disqualified from the race.
Král continued in Formula BMW for 2007, this time switching to the UK series with Räikkönen Robertson Racing. He scored a total of thirteen podium places in eighteen races, including six wins, to finish as runner-up to Swede Marcus Ericsson. He also took part in two Formula BMW ADAC races, taking a single podium position.
Král once again took part in the end-of-season Formula BMW World Final in Valencia, this time driving for Mücke Motorsport. Again, he finished second on the road behind team-mate Philipp Eng, but was disqualified for a technical infringement.

### A1 Grand Prix

In February 2008, Král made his debut for A1 Team Czech Republic in the South African round of the 2007–08 A1 Grand Prix season. After qualifying towards the back of the grid for both races, he finished eighteenth in the sprint race before retiring from the feature event.

### International Formula Master

In 2008, Král joined Team JVA to contest the International Formula Master series. He finished the season in sixth place, taking three podium places, including a debut win at Oschersleben.
He remained in the championship for 2009, this time switching to Italian team JD Motorsport. After taking podium places in Valencia, Brno and Brands Hatch, Král won his first race of the season at the Hungaroring, which acted as a support race for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. He added another win at Oschersleben en route to third in the championship.

### GP2 Series

In October 2009, Král made his debut in a GP2 car, testing for both Ocean Racing Technology and Piquet GP at Jerez in Spain. Later the same month, he signed with British team Super Nova Racing to contest the 2009–10 GP2 Asia Series. This relationship continued into the main series in 2010, when Král teamed up with his former Formula BMW rival Ericsson. During the sprint race at Valencia, Král's car was launched into the air after he collided with Rodolfo González, before landing heavily and hitting the tyre barriers. Král sustained two fractured vertebrae as a result, and was replaced by Luca Filippi until he recovered. After missing ten races, Král returned to action at the final round of the championship, where he scored his first series points.
Král moved to the Arden International team for 2011, partnered by 2010 FIA Formula Two Championship runner-up Jolyon Palmer. He finished tenth in the Asia series. In the main series, he scored his first podium in the Monaco sprint race. Another podium finish at Spa-Francorchamps saw him improve to 15th place in the championship. He moved to reigning teams' champion, Addax, for the 2012 season, alongside Johnny Cecotto, but was replaced by Dani Clos after the first round of the championship. He then returned to the seat for the fourth round of the series. After a run of pointless weekends, he took his first series victory in the sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps, only to be dropped for the following round of the championship in favour of Jake Rosenzweig. He finished 17th in the championship.

### Formula One

Král tested a Formula One car for the first time at the 2010 season-ending "young drivers" test in Abu Dhabi, with Hispania Racing.
Král revealed in June 2013 that he had a contract in place to race in the 2013 Formula One season with HRT F1 before the team went into administration and eventually closed.

## Racing record
### Career summary

| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
| 2005 | Czech Formula 1400 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 3rd |
| 2006 | Formula BMW ADAC | Micánek Motorsport | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 12th |
| 2007 | Formula BMW UK | Räikkönen Robertson Racing | 18 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 636 | 2nd |
| 2007 | Formula BMW ADAC | ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 25th |
| 2007–08 | A1 Grand Prix | A1 Team Czech Republic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 19th |
| 2008 | International Formula Master | Team JVA | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 6th |
| 2009 | International Formula Master | JD Motorsport | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 62 | 3rd |
| 2009–10 | GP2 Asia Series | Super Nova Racing | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 11th |
| 2010 | GP2 Series | Super Nova Racing | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24th |
| 2010 | Formula One | HRT F1 Team | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver | Test driver |
| 2011 | GP2 Series | Arden International | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 15th |
| 2011 | GP2 Asia Series | Arden International | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 10th |
| 2011 | GP2 Final | Arden International | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16th |
| 2012 | GP2 Series | Barwa Addax Team | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 17th |
| 2013 | Auto GP | Zele Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23rd |
| 2016 | Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup | Scuderia Praha | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2016 | Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup - Pro-Am | Scuderia Praha | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 30th |
| 2016 | 24H Series - A6 | Scuderia Praha | | | | | | | |
| 2017 | 24H Series - A6 | Scuderia Praha | | | | | | | |
| 2018 | 24H GT Series - A6 | Bohemia Energy Racing with Scuderia Praha | | | | | | | |
| 2019 | Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup | Bohemia Energy Racing with Scuderia Praha | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2019 | Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup - Pro-Am | Bohemia Energy Racing with Scuderia Praha | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 23rd |
| 2019 | 24H GT Series - A6 | Bohemia Energy Racing with Scuderia Praha | | | | | | | |
| 2021 | 24H GT Series - GT3 | MiddleCap racing with Scuderia Praha | | | | | | | |
| 2022 | Ferrari Challenge Europe - Trofeo Pirelli | Scuderia Praha | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 8th |
| 2023 | Ferrari Challenge Finali Mondiali - Trofeo Pirelli (Pro) | Scuderia Praha | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 9th |
| 2025 | Middle East Trophy - GT3 | Scuderia Praha | | | | | | | |

### Complete Formula BMW ADAC results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | DC | Points |
| 2006 | Micánek Motorsport | HOC 1 8 | HOC 2 11 | LAU 1 11 | LAU 2 13 | NÜR 1 9 | NÜR 2 20 | OSC 1 13 | OSC 2 4 | OSC 1 10 | OSC 2 9 | NOR 1 9 | NOR 2 10 | NÜR 1 11 | NÜR 2 11 | ZAN 1 9 | ZAN 2 5 | HOC 1 5 | HOC 2 10 | 12th | 40 |
| 2007 | ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg | OSC1 1 | OSC1 2 | LAU 1 | LAU 2 | NOR 1 | NOR 2 | NÜR1 1 | NÜR1 2 | ZAN 1 | ZAN 2 | OSC2 1 | OSC2 2 | NÜR2 1 | NÜR2 2 | CAT 1 | CAT 2 | HOC 1 13 | HOC 2 2 | 25th | 56 |

### Complete Formula BMW UK results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | DC | Pts |
| 2007 | Räikkönen Robertson Racing | BRH 1 Ret | BRH 2 18 | ROC 1 1 | ROC 2 1 | THR 1 3 | THR 2 1 | CRO 1 3 | CRO 2 1 | OUL 1 1 | OUL 2 2 | DON 1 5 | DON 2 2 | SNE 1 2 | SNE 2 1 | BRH 1 10 | BRH 2 2 | KNO 1 4 | KNO 2 3 | 2nd | 636 |

### Complete A1 Grand Prix results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
| 2007–08 | Czech Republic | NED SPR | NED FEA | CZE SPR | CZE FEA | MYS SPR | MYS FEA | ZHU SPR | ZHU FEA | NZL SPR | NZL FEA | AUS SPR | AUS FEA | RSA SPR 18 | RSA FEA Ret | MEX SPR | MEX FEA | SHA SPR | SHA FEA | GBR SPR | GBR SPR | 19th | 10 |

### Complete International Formula Master results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Points |
| 2008 | Team JVA | VAL 1 17 | VAL 2 9 | PAU 1 16 | PAU 2 10 | BRN 1 12 | BRN 2 12 | EST 1 13 | EST 2 14 | BRH 1 Ret | BRH 2 Ret | OSC 1 7 | OSC 2 1 | IMO 1 8 | IMO 2 2 | MNZ 1 7 | MNZ 2 3 | 6th | 29 |
| 2009 | JD Motorsport | PAU 1 Ret | PAU 2 13 | VAL 1 2 | VAL 2 4 | BRN 1 3 | BRN 2 DSQ | BRH 1 2 | BRH 2 5 | HUN 1 1 | HUN 2 Ret | SPA 1 7 | SPA 2 Ret | OSC 1 6 | OSC 2 1 | IMO 1 4 | IMO 2 2 | 3rd | 62 |

### Complete GP2 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | DC | Points |
| 2010 | Super Nova Racing | CAT FEA 12 | CAT SPR 19 | MON FEA 13 | MON SPR 8 | IST FEA 15 | IST SPR 14 | VAL FEA Ret | VAL SPR Ret | SIL FEA | SIL SPR | HOC FEA | HOC SPR | HUN FEA | HUN SPR | SPA FEA | SPA SPR | MNZ FEA | MNZ SPR | YMC FEA 8 | YMC SPR 5 | | | | | 24th | 3 |
| 2011 | Arden International | IST FEA 13 | IST SPR 6 | CAT FEA 9 | CAT SPR 21 | MON FEA 6 | MON SPR 2 | VAL FEA 8 | VAL SPR Ret | SIL FEA 23 | SIL SPR 20 | NÜR FEA 18 | NÜR SPR 11 | HUN FEA 9 | HUN SPR 17 | SPA FEA 8 | SPA SPR 3 | MNZ FEA Ret | MNZ SPR 17 | | | | | | | 15th | 15 |
| 2012 | Barwa Addax Team | SEP FEA 14 | SEP SPR 9 | BHR1 FEA | BHR1 SPR | BHR2 FEA | BHR2 SPR | CAT FEA 20 | CAT SPR 16 | MON FEA Ret | MON SPR 10 | VAL FEA DSQ | VAL SPR 11 | SIL FEA 16 | SIL SPR 10 | HOC FEA 12 | HOC SPR 13 | HUN FEA 24 | HUN SPR 17 | SPA FEA 4 | SPA SPR 1 | MNZ FEA | MNZ SPR | MRN FEA | MRN SPR | 17th | 27 |

#### Complete GP2 Asia Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
| 2009–10 | Super Nova Racing | YMC1 FEA 5 | YMC1 SPR 3 | YMC2 FEA 9 | YMC2 SPR Ret | BHR1 FEA 21 | BHR1 SPR 11 | BHR2 FEA 16 | BHR2 SPR 10 | 11th | 8 |
| 2011 | Arden International | YMC FEA 6 | YMC SPR 2 | IMO FEA 13 | IMO SPR 9 | | | | | 10th | 8 |

#### Complete GP2 Final results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | DC | Points |
| 2011 | Arden International | YMC FEA 20 | YMC SPR 12 | 16th | 0 |