Petri Saukkonen

Petri Saukkonen has had racing in his blood from the moment he was born. His father, Kimmo, was a world-renowned rally racer and competed in the FRC World Championships for 15 seasons, winning 3 world titles and finishing second 4 times. He got Petri into go-karts at age 4, and the young otter proved right away that he had every bit of his father's talent, routinely beating drivers that were much older than him. Given his abilities and his father's deep pocketbook, it was no surprise that Petri broke onto the championship karting scene in 2007 and started winning races right away. By the time he was 15, Petri had won three World Karting Championships and was being groomed for an FGP3 ride upon turning 16.

He got his shot right away after Felis UK Racing driver Henry Pelletier was injured in a practice crash at Spa-Francorchamps; Petri had tested with Felis prior to his 16th birthday and had earned a position as a test driver, but was thrust into the spotlight when Pelletier was lost for the year. His first race would be two days before his 16th birthday, but was granted an exemption to start the race. The young otter qualified 9th and was holding his own until a transmission failure ended his day early. Petri completed the 2013 FGP3 season and finished in the points with a 7th at the final race of the season at Hockenheim; however, he was ineligible for points as he was a substitute. He was impressive enough to gain a full-time ride for Felis UK and he delivered a 4th place finish in the final points while becoming the youngest driver to win a race by taking the checkered flag at Monza. 2015 started off with a bang, with Petri taking pole and leading wire-to-wire at Catalunya, the first of three victories for the Finnish driver. He would finish 2nd in the final standings and earn a ride with Lontra Motorsport in the FGP2 series for 2016.

Being with a mostly lutrine team proved to be beneficial for Petri, and he would put the grid on notice after driving up from 14th to 3rd in the season-opener at Catalunya. After crashing out at Monaco and Baku, he would return to the podium at the Red Bull Ring but wouldn't contend for a victory and finished 5th in points. 2017 saw FGP2 become Furmula 2, and it would see a star in the making rise as Petri would earn his first two wins at Bahrain and Catalunya; he would once again crash at Monaco before earning a 2nd at Baku. He would win again at Spa and head into the final race in Abu Dhabi needing a 4th-place finish to claim the championship. The otter would finish 6th and lost out on the championship by 5 points. Determined to put the previous year behind him, Petri would dominate the 2018 Furmula 2 season as he won five races, including the inaugural race at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, and won the championship by 37 points. This put several Furmula One teams on notice, and Petri would announce that he will be leaving Lontra Motorsport to take the step up to the highest echelon of furry motorsport in the world. At only 21 years old at the start of the 2019 season, Petri has unlimited potential and aspirations of becoming the next Furry World Champion.

**2019**

After his championship run in F2, Petri was garnering the attention of teams in the Furmula One paddock, and had gotten offers from Hamad Force and Fenntech.  He ended up signing with Hamad Force, though many viewed it as an attempt to save face after team owner Hamad al-Nahyan sacked incumbent driver Shaun McCollum so he could replace him with his daughter, Amna, who had just completed her first season in Furmula 3.  Hamad Force's other driver, Andrei Volchenkov, abruptly quit the team in protest, which opened up the seat for Petri to join the Dubai-based outfit, and a tense partnership formed between Petri and Amna as it was known that Amna would not take any kind of advice to heart.

But when the season opened in Melbourne, Petri put the world on notice by delivering a 2nd-place finish in his debut while in the torrential rain at Albert Park.  At the next event, the Finn would go one place higher and secure his maiden victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, much to the delight of the majority of Middle Eastern spectators who were in attendance.  It was also the first win since 2016 for Conda, who had partnered with Hamad Force for the 2019 season, and a sign that the Japanese manufacturer could once again compete with the best that Furrari and Purrcedes could offer.  After finishing 5th at Shanghai, Petri would take the win at the Spanish Grand Prix in dominant fashion, leading wire-to-wire and winning by 20 seconds over 2nd-place Trey Goodwin.  The otter was unstoppable, and he was truely earning the title of The Next Flying Finn.

Petri was riding high when the series came to Monaco for the most prestigious race on the Furmula One calendar, though the streets of Monte Carlo had never been friendly to him.  He would not survive the first lap as he made contact with the Maranello of Domitila da Costa and found himself in the barrier at Mirabeau.  This was also the first race with new teammate Christine Thomas, who had replaced Amna after she had been sacked from driving duties during the weekend, and the German was able to score a podium finish.  He had a scary moment at the Dutch Grand Prix when, on lap 63, the brakes on his Hamad Force failed at the end of the longest straight, causing him to hit the barrier at a high rate of speed; the exact details were not released but he was able to exit the car without assistance.  The crash had no effect on Petri as he charged through the field from 12th starting position at the Black Deer Ring to take the Austrian Grand Prix, which was the furthest back a race winner started the entire season.

After a P4 finish at Silverstone, Petri would only bring in 6 points over the course of the next four races, but starting with the Hungarian Grand Prix, he would not finish outside the points for the remainder of the season.  His most famous win of 2019 came at the Japanese Grand Prix, where he won at the Suzuka Circuit, which is owned by Conda, and where he confessed in his post-race interview with Albert Turnbull that the secret to his success was eating sushi whenever he had the chance to.  This led to some bloggers within the F1 community dubbing him the "Sushi Boss", which the otter still considers a badge of honor.

An 8th place finish in Mexico, 4th in the US and a 6th at Brazil put Petri within striking distance of an unlikely first-season championship along with four other drivers: da Costa, Gareth Bellin, Gunnar Thorvaldsson and Darren Mitchell, who was retiring at the end of the season.  The stage was set for Petri to take it all in his team's home nation at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and while his 7th place finish wasn't good enough to overcome da Costa and Bellin as they battled to the very last lap, he was able to finish 8 points behind in 3rd place.  This was far and away beyond any expectations the team and the otter had going into the season, and he was justly rewarded with a lucrative contract extension to remain with Hamad Force for the next three years.