WillStevens

Early Career Foundations

William Jonathan Richard Stevens, born on June 28, 1991, in Rochford, Essex, England, embarked on his motorsport journey at the age of 12 in 2003, commencing with karting. After a year competing in the National Cadet championship, he progressed to the Rotax Mini Max category. His karting tenure saw him participate in various championships both within Britain and internationally, culminating in a seventh-place finish in the Rotax class of the Super One series before transitioning to Formula Renault 2.0. Stevens’ progression through the junior formulae was marked by consistent performance. In the 2009 Formula Renault 2.0 UK championship, he secured seventh place, improving to fourth in the 2010 season. His move to the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup in 2011 saw him maintain this competitive edge, again finishing fourth overall. The next step in his career trajectory was the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, a significant proving ground for aspiring Formula 1 drivers. Stevens joined the series in 2012, concluding his debut season in 12th position. The 2013 season proved to be a breakthrough, as he demonstrated strong race craft by securing five podium finishes across 17 races, which propelled him to fourth in the final season standings. He continued to build on this momentum in 2014, achieving two victories and four podiums, ultimately finishing sixth in points before his eventual move to Formula 1.

Formula 1 Debut and Formative Years

Stevens’ entry into the pinnacle of motorsport began in October 2014, when Marussia F1 announced him as a reserve driver for the remainder of the season. An initial plan to run him in the first practice session of the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix was thwarted by an inability to submit the necessary paperwork to the FIA Contract Recognition Board in time. His Formula 1 race debut, however, came swiftly thereafter at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Caterham F1, where he replaced Marcus Ericsson for the season-ending double points race. Having previously tested for the team, Stevens completed the race in 17th position, finishing one lap down. This opportunity reportedly came at a cost of £500,000. For the 2015 season, Stevens secured a full-time race seat with Manor Marussia, bringing substantial funding to the team alongside teammate Roberto Merhi. The season began with challenges for the team, as Marussia attended the Australian Grand Prix but was unable to compete due to a technical issue. At the Malaysian Grand Prix, Stevens made his first appearance in the Marussia car during Practice 1, but a fuel system problem prevented him from participating in qualifying or the race itself. The Chinese Grand Prix marked Stevens’ first competitive race for Marussia, where he finished 15th, notably ahead of his teammate Merhi, despite being lapped twice by race winner Lewis Hamilton. He continued to demonstrate his competitive edge against Merhi in the subsequent races, finishing ahead of him in both Bahrain and Spain. However, at the Monaco Grand Prix, Stevens finished 16th, behind Merhi. The Canadian Grand Prix presented a challenging scenario. Stevens qualified behind Merhi but advanced to 17th on the grid due to penalties incurred by Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen. During the race, on lap 52, an incident occurred when Romain Grosjean of Lotus attempted to lap Stevens, resulting in contact that cut Stevens’ left rear tyre. Both drivers were forced to make emergency pit stops. The rapid nature of the incident left the mechanics of both Lotus and Marussia with minimal time to react, leading to extended pit stops for both Grosjean and Stevens. Stevens communicated his frustration over the incident to his team via radio. While Grosjean received a five-second penalty for the collision, the impact on Stevens was significant, as he dropped from being four seconds behind Merhi to a minute adrift. Despite this, Merhi was forced to retire on lap 56 due to a drive-shaft issue, allowing Stevens to eventually finish 17th, four laps down on the race winner. Grosjean later apologized to Stevens for the incident. As the 2015 season progressed, Merhi was replaced by Alexander Rossi, who subsequently outpaced Stevens in three of their four shared races.

Post-Formula 1 Transition and Endurance Racing Success

Following his Formula 1 tenure, Stevens transitioned into endurance racing, quickly establishing himself as a formidable competitor in various categories. In February 2016, he joined Manor Motorsport, a team formed by former Manor Racing employees John Booth and Graeme Lowdon, to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in the LMP2 class, partnering with Tor Graves. Concurrently, Stevens also committed to racing in the 2016 Blancpain GT Series for the W Racing Team, driving an Audi R8 LMS alongside René Rast, showcasing his versatility across different racing disciplines. The 2017 season further solidified his presence in GT and endurance racing. He continued to race for Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, piloting an Audi R8 LMS in both the Sprint and Endurance Cups of the Blancpain GT Series, as well as the Blancpain GT Asia Series and the Audi R8 LMS Cup. A significant highlight of Stevens’ career came at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans. Competing in the GTE Am category for JMW Motorsport, he co-drove a Ferrari 488 Italia GTE with fellow Briton Rob Smith and Belgian Dries Vanthoor. The team’s Ferrari, a brand-new car making its race debut, quickly demonstrated its pace, ranking third-quickest in the first free practice session. The initial qualifying session focused on fulfilling driver qualification requirements, placing them eighth in GTE-Am. However, in Second Qualifying, Dries Vanthoor surpassed the old class lap record, and Stevens then further improved upon this by half a second, posting a 3:53.981 to claim provisional class pole. Despite yellow flags preventing further personal improvements in the final qualifying session, the team completed their race preparation, lining up sixth in GTE-Am for the start. Stevens took the opening stint, skillfully moving the car up to fourth in class. His co-drivers continued this strong advance, with the team capturing third position by 5:40 pm and then second place three hours into the race. Shortly after 10 pm, the No. 84 JMW Ferrari took the lead in the GTE-Am category. From this point, the team steadily built an advantage, ultimately finishing two laps clear of their closest rivals, completing 333 laps and crossing the line 27th overall. Stevens also recorded the fastest lap for the JMW Ferrari, a 3:54.461, underscoring his contribution to this class victory. Beyond Le Mans in 2017, Stevens achieved further success, including a second-place finish in the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup, which featured his first GT3 win at Zolder alongside teammate Markus Winkelhock. Conversely, his season in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup was less fortunate, with his car retiring in every race he entered, and he did not participate in the prestigious 24 Hours of Spa. Following their Le Mans triumph, JMW Motorsport invited Stevens to compete in the final two races of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) to bolster their bid for the GTE Series Team standings. His contributions, including helping the team secure second place at both Spa-Francorchamps and Algarve, successfully elevated JMW Motorsport to first in the GTE standings. In 2018, Stevens continued his endurance racing commitments, joining the Panis-Barthez LMP2 Team for the European Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Concurrently, he also embarked on a role with McLaren F1, serving as a test and development driver since 2018, primarily focusing on simulator work. This role was highlighted in July 2022 when McLaren announced that Stevens would drive the McLaren MCL35 2021 car during a private test at the Portimao circuit. Stevens’ career in endurance racing has continued to flourish. He currently competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing and in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Cadillac Hertz Team Jota. A significant achievement in this phase of his career was winning the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 class with Jota, cementing his status as a highly accomplished endurance racer.