Imre Futy

Imre Füty is a Hungarian racing driver, currently racing in IndyCar for Team Penske. Prior to joining IndyCar, he also raced in Formula One for Benetton and Jordan, in 2007 he would return from IndyCar for Force India before rejoining IndyCar.
==Early Life==
==Racing Career==
===Formula One ===
====Benetton (1999-2001)====
In September 1999 Imre Füty officially joined Formula one with Benetton as their reserve driver in line to replace Tim O'Pakkinen who had already been confirmed to join McLaren in 2000.
=====2000=====
In 2000 with the unexpected departure of Tatsuno Takamori from Benetton, the Italian team would opt for an all rookie lineup with both Füty and Matteo Margheriti. Margheriti is the son of two time Formula One World Driver's Champion Fabiano Margheriti. Füty would end up retiring in his first race with the team, but finishing fourth the next race weekend in Brazil. Following a weekend of severe illness keeping him away and the cancellation of the Monaco Grand Prix Füty would not see the track until the week of the British Grand Prix, at which his engine would not start for the initial parade lap which forced the team to retire the car before starting.
The German Grand Prix would be rough for Füty who would retire after an accident on lap 18. In Austria, Füty would make history for being the youngest driver to ever record a grand slam in Formula One. A grand slam requires a driver to take pole position, lead every lap of the race, win the race, and set the fastest lap of the race. Following that performance Benetton would finish 2nd and 3rd, with Füty in the former position, at the Belgian Grand Prix, Füty would also once again take pole in Belgium. Unexpectedly Füty's 2000 campaign would end in Italy following a recovery drive described on commentary as "sensational", with the Hungarian going from 17th all the way to finishing in 4th place.
=====2001=====
The start of 2001 was rocky for Füty, who retired in two of the first three races. However, in Malaysia he would place 2nd with Margheriti alongside him in 3rd. Imre's career would change overnight following back to back tenth place finishes in the United States and Monaco Grand Prix's. With the announcement of Benetton signing Japanese driver Katashi Kimura in place of Füty the following season. The Italian team hoped to keep a line-up of both Kimura and Margheriti heading into 2002. With seat uncertainty looming, Füty stated that he intended to "drive as if my life depends on it... because it does." Despite a retirement at the British Grand Prix flashes of the Hungarian's talent from the previous year began to show, with highly competitive results throughout the latter half of the year including a win at the Japanese Grand Prix. It would be his second and final in Formula One.
====Jordan (2002-2003)====
=====2002=====
During the off-season between 2001 and 2002, Imre Füty was officially announced to pair with then 4x World Driver's Champion (currently 6x) Otto Makkinen for the 2002 and 2003 seasons. The Irish outfit headed by Eddie Jordan had come up just 29 points short of a second World Constructors Championship in 2001 and 2000. Jordan had developed a reputation for providing brilliant strategy and fast, if occasionally unstable, race cars that could challenge for championships since the 1993 season when Jordan triumphed over both Williams and McLaren while Zarco captured his first and only World Drivers Championship. The team had seen a renaissance period at the end of 1996 with Tatsuno Takamori capturing victory for the team, and especially in 1997 with the debut of the youngest ever World Drivers Champion Alexander Parker. In 2000 the team signed Makkinen and immediately won the World Drivers Championship but came up second behind Füty and Margheriti's Benetton campaign by 14 points. At the time the move seemed like one that would position Füty as one of the premiere championship contenders in Formula One.
The Jordan team would start well in 2004 with Imre capturing a third place podium on his Jordan debut and his teammate Makkinen in 4th. The expectation going into the 2002 season was that Jordan would be capable of fighting for championships, as it had the previous two seasons. While Otto gave his all ending up in a respectable third place for the season, the frustrations throughout the season would eventually cause him to take a two year sabbatical starting after the 2002 Italian Grand Prix. Füty meanwhile retired in 45.5% of the races he ran that season, with finishes in 6th and 9th becoming a struggle as the weighty Jordan became an issue.
=====2003=====
Contracted to another year in Formula One with Jordan, the Hungarian publicly came out at the start of the season and stated his intent to move on from the Jordan team and back into fighting consistently for podiums. The season itself however would be a disaster for Jordan and the beginning of a slow collapse. The EJ13 retired three times throughout the season, all due to mechanical faults. However the car also had the issue of overheating with approximately 1/5th of the race left to go during the entirety of the 2003 campaign. Despite this, and a distasterous 14th place finish in Brazil, Füty pushed Jordan to score finishes in 8th, and 6th. In his final Formula One season Füty, starting from 16th at the Austrian Grand Prix, captured his final ever Fomrula One podium by finishing second place after a rainstorm began to fall on the track. At the finish line Füty was only 1.1 seconds away from race winner Eric Flynn's Ferrari.
Despite his efforts, Füty was unable to secure a contract for 2004 in Formula One, forcing him to leave the series.
====Return to Formula One with Force India (2007)====
Füty would return to Formula One after three successful years in IndyCar with Team Penske, where the Hungarian driver had something of a career revival. Jordan Grand Prix became Force India after the Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya bought out the time in December 2006. Mallya looked for an experienced driver to race alongside Lakshman Gupta and offered Füty a contract. Upon hearing the news, Imre Füty offered to take a year off of his IndyCar campaign, having been at the end of his IndyCar contract. Force India made the deal official just a month before the Australian Grand Prix.
===IndyCar ===
====Team Penske (2004-2006)====
====Andretti Green Racing (2008)====
==Personal Life==
Füty is known for his highly aggressive racing style that either results in retirement or an unexpectedly high finishing position. He has stated that he was inspired by the fearless driving in the early to mid 1980's in Formula One, and that he has no personal fears for his safety when in the car.
==Racing Record==
====Formula One====
Year
 
Entrant
 
 Chassis
 
 Engine
 
1
 
 2
 3
 
 4
 
 5
 
 6
 
 7
 8
 
 9
 10
 
 11
 
 12
 
 WDC
 
 Points
 
 1999
 Benetton Racing Team (Reserve)
B199 
 Playlife FB01 
AUS 
BRA 
 SMR 
 MON 
 GBR 
 GER 
 BEL 
ITA 
 AUT 
 MAL 
JPN 
 
 N/A
 0 
2000 
 Mild Seven Benetton Playlife 
 B200 
 Playlife FB02 
AUSRet 
BRA4th 
USADNS 
MONC 
GBRDNS 
GERRet 
AUT1st 
 BEL2nd 
 ITA4th 
MALDNS 
JPNDNS
 
 8th 
43
2001
Mild Seven Benetton Renault
B201
Renault RS21
 AUSRet 
 MAL2nd 
 BRARet 
USA10th 
 MON10th 
 GBRRet 
 GER6th 
 AUT9th 
BELRet 
 ITARet 
JPN1st
 
8th 
36
 2002
DHL Jordan Honda
EJ12
Honda RA002E
AUS3rd 
MALRet 
 BRA6th 
USARet 
 MON9th 
 GBR9th 
 GERRet 
 AUT12th 
 BELRet 
ITA8th 
JPNRet
 
13th
22
 2003
Benson & Hedges Jordan Ford
EJ13
Ford RS1
 AUSRet 
 MALRet 
BRA14th 
USA8th 
MON11th 
GBR10th 
GERRet 
AUT2nd 
BEL6th 
ITA11th 
JPN6th 
 
 12th
26
2007
Force India F1 Team
VMJ01
Ferrari 056 2006
AUS13th 
BAH19th 
MON14th 
USA13th 
GBRRet 
AUTRet 
GER20th 
HUN15th 
ITA14th 
BEL11th 
JPN20th 
BRA18th 
25th
0
Category:Hungarian
Category:F1
Category:IndyCar
Category:Drivers
Category:Active Drivers