Franco López

as of 2023 European GP

Franco López is an Argentine OC driver currently racing for the Toyota Gazoo Racing in the 2023 season. Renowned for superb technical ability, determination and outright raw speed, López has been earmarked as a future world champion and one of the newly established Next Generation of OC drivers.

### **Early Years (2010-2013)**

López started his Career in 2010 driving for GP2 outfit Racing Engineering. The season was mixed with 2 podiums in Monaco and Silverstone, but also several non points finishes as the Argentine finished 10th overall.

A move to DAMS in 2011 did very little to change his fortunes, with another podium finish in Spain, but again inconsistent points finishes which were few and far between as it was. Despite this, and despite scoring less points than his debut year, López finished one place better off overall in 2011. However, the starlet decided on a change in scenery in 2012 and moved to the more established GP2 Lotus outfit for the next season.

2012 ended up being a complete disaster for the promising Argentine. He struggled with the car and failed to score a point all season. Looking as though he would be left without a seat for 2013, he was handed a lifeline by his first GP2 team, Racing Engineering who offered him a deal for 2013 and thus saved his GP2 career.

López rewarded their faith by producing a very memorable season. He scored his maiden GP2 win in Hungary and followed it up 2 weeks later with another win in Italy. A podium in America and a few points finishes elsewhere aided his cause and took him to a fine 3rd place overall come the season's end. Having spent four seasons in GP2, it looked as though López would never get his chance in the top flight. However, shortly before the 2014 season was due to start, López was handed a contract with the backmarker Marussia team for the upcoming season. With this, he became the second Argentine to compete in the top class after Nicholas Masia in 2007.

### **Humble F1 Beginnings (2014-15)**

López endured a baptism of fire at the inception of his Formula 1 career. He retired from 6 of his first 10 Grand Prix entries, with bad luck and poor performance from his backmarker Marussia being cited as the main contributing factor. His teammate, Italian Roberto Gamba, by contrast was achieving all sorts of success with multiple points finishes. López was able to turn it around at the seasons eleventh round in Hungary, where he had achieved his first GP2 win the previous season, he scored his first points with seventh. This marked a swing in the season as Gamba began to falter and López picked up his pace . A fine fifth place finish was his and Marussia's best result of the season, and another points finish in Japan meant López finished the season strongly.

Although finishing slightly behind his teammate in the overall standings, he had done enough to convince McLaren to make an approach for his services in 2015. Expected to struggle during a transitional year to Honda engines, the new McLaren Honda was both very slow and unreliable with the team performing very poorly in both testing and qualifying for the opening round in Australia.

Despite these odds, López surpassed all expectations by dragging his car to a points finish in his first race for the team, and continued to consistently score points in subsequent races, culminating in a frankly miraculous fourth place finish in Monaco. In a reverse repeat of the previous season, his teammate, Oliver Glazebrook by comparison was struggling for both points and finishes. And whilst the second half of the season was a lot tougher for López, with very few points finishes and multiple retirements, his year was still highly impressive with a solid 13th place overall finish and ahead of his teammate in the standings.

### **Force India (2016-17)**

Seeking a replacement for the outgoing Vedran Vedrina, Force India announced they had signed López for 2016 to partner the experienced Rick Yan.

The new Force India challenger was immediately competitive and was consistently fighting at the front end of the midfield, López scored points in the second Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain and followed it up with podium in China, the first of his F1 career. The talented Argentine was a revelation in his new machinery, with consistent points and further podium finishes in Austria, Germany, Malaysia and America, his finish in Malaysia being the best result of his short career with 2nd. With 11 consecutive points finishes from Hungary to seasons end, López seriously impressed with his consistency, and with 5 podiums to his name, he finished a thoroughly impressive 5th overall in the standings, comprehensively ahead of his teammate and ahead of both works Ferrari drivers, double world champion Joseph Willows and quadruple world champion Florian völker.

Despite this breakthrough season, López remained with Force India for 2017 and continued his strong form from the previous year. His 2nd place finish in the seasons second round in China saw him take a shock championship lead, the first time an Argentine and a South American driver had led the world championship. Whilst 2017 proved to be tougher than the preceding year, López still consistently scored points and podiums simultaneously outperforming his teammate. His fine form meant he was in the spotlight for a move to a top team for 2018, with the outgoing Mercedes driver Will Neller stating he was his desired successor.

Finishing a strong 8th overall for the season marginally ahead of Yan, López announced he was departing Force India for 2018, with speculation mounting that he would be Neller's successor at the World Champion works-Mercedes team.

### **Mercedes**

At the closing round of the 2017 season in Brazil, López was announced as a Mercedes driver for 2018 in an all new driver lineup at the German outfit. He would partner F1's most successful champion Florian völker and was expected to play number 2 to the Quadruple world champion.

The start of the season however, did not go according to that script. López consistently outperformed völker in both testing and Qualifying for the seasons opening round, the Australian GP, in the process of that event López scored the first pole position of his career which he converted the following day into his maiden grand prix victory, the first for an Argentine driver in the top tier, by also taking the fastest lap of the race, as well he took his first ever grand slam. A feat he repeated at the following round in Bahrain, becoming the first driver to win back to back races for a new team, as well as the first driver to take a grand slam in back to back Grand Prix for a considerable amount of time.