Daniel Saetern

Daniel in 2009, on a vacation in Norway.

Milton-Keynes, England, United Kingdom

**Daniel Clemens Sætern** (born 5th February 1989) is a British-Norwegian motorsport safety worker and advocate who has occasionally worked with the FIA. He is also the son of former Formula One driver Jasper Saetern.

## Early Years

For the first eight years of Sætern's life, he was a near permanent fixture within the Formula One paddock. Drivers, drivers aides, mechanics, and all other sorts of people helped look after him during race weekends including Stacy Young, who was hired as a traveling primary caretaker when Jasper was unavailable, Young traveled to all race weekends that Sætern did starting in 1992. In November of 1996, Daniel entered his first ever official karting race, where with his fathers help he would reportedly do very well for himself. In a 2005 sit down interview Sætern revealed that he was originally interested in both Formula One and rallycross, to both of which his father was highly supportive. It was also revealed that despite his claims prior to the 1997 Australian Grand Prix, Jasper was considering retirement from Formula One and full time racing not too far after the turn of the millennium, with Daniel even providing a document that stated a loose plan for retirement in 2002.

## After Jasper Sætern's Death

Following his father's death in Australia in 1997, Daniel quickly vanished from the Formula One paddock, appearing only once for the 1997 British Grand Prix as a guest of Ford Grand Prix. Sætern moved from family to family on both his parents sides, before eventually settling into Bournemouth in the United Kingdom at age 12. Sætern would spend most of his formative years falling in love with the ocean, and working with the Marine Conservation Society. In 2005, Sætern auctioned a few of both his fathers and his own belongings from their racing days in an effort to raise both money and awareness for the MCS. Outside of his work with the charity, Sætern began a career behind the scenes in motorsports in working with safety regulations and innovations.

In 2011, Sætern released a memoir of his father, containing journal entries, ideas, deals, conversations, relationships, and the details of the relatively private life of the Sætern's from 1976 all the way to the night following the final practice for the 1997 Australian Grand Prix. The book is finished with one final entry from Daniel that was started in 2003 and then completed in 2011. The memoir released to decent commercial success and was favorably reviewed. Starting in 2001, Sætern has started appearing in the paddock again for a few race weekends at a time, and was present to witness Red Bull Racing, who used to be Ford Grand Prix, win their first race at the 2008 Austrian Grand Prix.

In 2012 Sætern announced he would take part in a charity series hosted by Top Gear. It will mark the first time he will try his hand at racing since 1997. Sætern has stated that he is nervous because he doesn't often drive regularly anymore, but that his excitement out ways his nerves. He will be competing for the Marine Conservation Society.

## Personal Life

Despite being involved with the Marine Conservation Society, Sætern's favorite season is the winter. For a brief period of time Sætern considered dedicating his life to playing football, and played as a goalkeeper in his youth. Sætern began dating Noel Holden in 2002 when they were both 13, and entered a civil partnership with him in 2012. Sætern has three cats, Ziggy, Rayne, and Koi.