Kacper Sztuka (Polish pronunciation: [ˈkat͡spɛr ˈʂtuka]; born 28 January 2006) is a Polish racing driver who most recently competed in the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship with MP Motorsport, having last competed in the Italian F4 Championship with US Racing,[1] having raced in the series with AS Motorsport in 2021.[2] He is the 2023 Italian F4 champion and the winner of the inaugural edition of the Formula Winter Series.[3]
| Kacper Sztuka | |
|---|---|
 Sztuka in 2022 | |
| Nationality |  Polish |
| Born | 28 January 2006 Bielsko-Biała, Poland |
| FIA Formula 3 Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2024 |
| Current team | MP Motorsport |
| Car number | 8 |
| Starts | 20 (20 entries) |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 27th in 2024 |
| Previous series | |
| 2023 2023 2022 2021-2023 | Formula Winter Series Euro 4 Championship ADAC Formula 4 Italian F4 Championship |
| Championship titles | |
| 2023 2023 | Formula Winter Series Italian F4 Championship |
He took his first win in car racing at the Imola Circuit in 2022.[4] Sztuka is a former member of the Red Bull Junior Team.
Career
editKarting
editHe began karting at the age of four in Tychy and subsequently in Wodzisław Śląski where he started practicing at an open-air karting circuit.[5] He made his racing debut in the Czech Republic and began regularly taking part in races in Italy at the age of nine.[6]
Formula 4
editIn 2019, he became a test driver in Formula 4 for the first time. In 2020, he took part in only four karting races as the rest of the season was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted him to focus on preparations for his debut season in Formula 4.[5]
2021
edit
On 16 May 2021, he made his debut in the Italian F4 Championship at the Circuit Paul Ricard becoming the youngest Polish racing driver in Formula 4 history.[6] He ended the 2021 season claiming 8th place in the Rookie category.[7]
2022
edit.jpg)
In 2022, Sztuka signed a contract with US Racing, owned by Ralf Schumacher and Gerhard Ungar.[8] He finished four races on the podium including two wins and collected 162 points, which allowed him to finish sixth in the general classification. He also made a guest appearance in the German Formula Four Championship finishing second two times in five races collecting 64 points and claiming 10th place overall.[9]
2023
edit.jpg)
In 2023, he continued racing in the Italian F4 Championship winning his first race at the Imola Circuit.[10]
He also participated in the inaugural edition of the Formula Winter Series. He won five out of first six races winning four pole positions and four fastest laps, which allowed him to win the championship without having to take part in the last fourth round. It was the first title in his career.[11]
In April 2023, he received sponsorship support from PKN Orlen by joining the Akademia ORLEN Team.[12]
FIA Formula 3 Championship
edit
In November 2023, Sztuka drove for MP Motorsport during the FIA Formula 3 post-season test in Imola[13] In January 2024, Sztuka announced that he had signed with the Dutch-based team to compete in the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship.[14]
Formula One
editIn November 2023, it was announced that Sztuka would join the Red Bull Junior Team.[15] However, just seven months later, it was announced that Sztuka would be leaving after his contract was terminated by Red Bull.[16]
Personal life
editHe was born in Bielsko-Biała in 2006.[17] His father is a Polish rally driver Łukasz Sztuka.[5] He attends the General Antoni Osuchowski High School No. 1 in Cieszyn.[18] He named Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica as his childhood idols who inspire him.[19] He is the winner of Dziennik Zachodni's Greatest Sporting Talent of the Silesian Voivodeship Award.[20]
Karting record
editKarting career summary
edit| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Czech Championship — Easy 50 | Hawi Racing Team | NC |
| 2012 | Moravsky Pohar — Mladi 50 | ||
| Czech Championship — Easy 50 | Hawi Racing Team | 8th | |
| 2013 | Karting Cup — 60 Baby | 1st | |
| 2014 | Moravsky Pohar — 60 Baby | 1st | |
| Karting Cup — 60 Baby | 1st | ||
| Pohar Autoklubu Ceske Republiky — 60 Baby | Feber Racing | 3rd | |
| 2015 | South Garda Winter Cup — Mini ROK | 21st | |
| WSK Gold Cup — 60 Mini | 22nd | ||
| WSK Super Master Series — 60 Mini | RB Racing | NC | |
| WSK Final Cup — 60 Mini | Sztuka, Lukasz | NC | |
| 2016 | WSK Champions Cup — 60 Mini | RB Racing | NC |
| ROK Cup Italy Area Nord — Mini ROK | 77th | ||
| 2017 | WSK Champions Cup — 60 Mini | TBKart Srl | NC |
| WSK Super Master Series — 60 Mini | NC | ||
| Italian Championship — 60 Mini | 34th | ||
| WSK Final Cup — 60 Mini | Parolin Racing Team | 27th | |
| 2018 | WSK Super Master Series — 60 Mini | AV Racing | NC |
| Italian Championship — ROK Junior | 16th | ||
| WSK Final Cup — OKJ | Speedkart | NC | |
| 2019 | WSK Super Master Series — OKJ | Speedkart | NC |
| WSK Euro Series — OKJ | NC | ||
| CIK-FIA European Championship — OKJ | NC | ||
| WSK Open Cup — OKJ | 22nd | ||
| WSK Final Cup — OKJ | 11th | ||
| German Championship — Junior | Ward Racing | NC | |
| Copa Campeones — OKJ | 2nd | ||
| 2020 | WSK Champions Cup — OKJ | Ward Racing | 26th |
| WSK Super Master Series — OKJ | 35th | ||
| Sources:[21][22] | |||
Racing record
editRacing career summary
edit| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Italian F4 Championship | AS Motorsport[23] | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36th |
| Iron Lynx | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| FIA Central European Zone Formula 4 | AS Motorsport | 2 | 0 | ? | ? | 0 | 4 | 14th | |
| 2022 | Italian F4 Championship | US Racing | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 162 | 6th |
| ADAC Formula 4 Championship | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 10th | ||
| 2023 | Formula Winter Series | US Racing | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 151 | 1st |
| Italian F4 Championship | 21 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 315 | 1st | ||
| Euro 4 Championship | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 74.5 | 8th | ||
| 2024 | FIA Formula 3 Championship | MP Motorsport | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 27th |
Complete Italian F4 Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | AS Motorsport | LEC 1 23 |
LEC 2 13 |
LEC 3 19 |
MIS 1 23 |
MIS 2 13 |
MIS 3 11 |
VLL 1 23 |
VLL 2 17 |
VLL 3 20 |
IMO 1 14 |
IMO 2 12 |
IMO 3 Ret |
RBR 1 18 |
RBR 2 18 |
RBR 3 19 |
MNZ 1 17 |
MNZ 2 16 |
MNZ 3 30 |
36th | 0 | ||||
| Iron Lynx | MUG 1 17 |
MUG 2 22 |
MUG 3 18 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | US Racing | IMO 1 Ret |
IMO 2 2 |
IMO 3 1 |
MIS 1 Ret |
MIS 2 10 |
MIS 3 4 |
SPA 1 Ret |
SPA 2 12 |
SPA 3 6 |
VLL 1 7 |
VLL 2 5 |
VLL 3 6 |
RBR 1 |
RBR 2 4 |
RBR 3 1 |
RBR 4 5 |
MNZ 1 3 |
MNZ 2 Ret |
MNZ 3 C |
MUG 1 Ret |
MUG 2 4 |
MUG 3 Ret |
6th | 162 |
| 2023 | US Racing | IMO 1 1 |
IMO 2 Ret |
IMO 3 |
IMO 4 Ret |
MIS 1 4 |
MIS 2 Ret |
MIS 3 4 |
SPA 1 6 |
SPA 2 2 |
SPA 3 24 |
MNZ 1 4 |
MNZ 2 4 |
MNZ 3 2 |
LEC 1 1 |
LEC 2 1 |
LEC 3 1 |
MUG 1 1 |
MUG 2 1 |
MUG 3 1 |
VLL 1 3 |
VLL 2 1 |
VLL 3 1 |
1st | 315 |
Complete Italian F4 Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | US Racing | SPA 1 DNS |
SPA 2 4 |
SPA 3 2 |
HOC 1 |
HOC 2 |
HOC 3 |
ZAN 1 |
ZAN 2 |
ZAN 3 |
NÜR1 1 |
NÜR1 2 |
NÜR1 3 |
LAU 1 4 |
LAU 2 2 |
LAU 3 8 |
NÜR2 1 |
NÜR2 2 |
NÜR2 3 |
10th | 64 |
Complete Formula Winter Series results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | US Racing | JER 1 1 |
JER 2 1 |
CRT 1 2 |
CRT 2 1 |
NAV 1 1 |
NAV 2 1 |
CAT 1 |
CAT 2 |
1st | 151 |
Complete Euro 4 Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | US Racing | MUG 1 2 |
MUG 2 8 |
MUG 3 3 |
MNZ 1 1 |
MNZ 2 1 |
MNZ 3 Ret |
CAT 1 |
CAT 2 |
CAT 3 |
8th | 74.5 |
Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MP Motorsport | BHR SPR 20 |
BHR FEA 28 |
MEL SPR 16 |
MEL FEA 18 |
IMO SPR 5 |
IMO FEA 15 |
MON SPR Ret |
MON FEA 11 |
CAT SPR 23 |
CAT FEA 28 |
RBR SPR Ret |
RBR FEA 16 |
SIL SPR Ret |
SIL FEA 17 |
HUN SPR 27 |
HUN FEA 18 |
SPA SPR 20 |
SPA FEA 18 |
MNZ SPR 18 |
MNZ FEA 12 |
27th | 6 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Studenkov, Alexander (31 May 2022). "F4 front-runner Kacper Sztuka on financial issues: 'We still don't have the budget for Italian F4'". F1 Feeder Series. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Kacper Sztuka with US Racing in the Italian F.4 Championship 2022". ACI Sport. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Kacper Sztuka mistrzem Formula Winter Series! Polak przypieczętował sukces w Nawarze". polskieradio.pl (in Polish). 6 March 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "Formula4 Italian Championship - Certified by FIA WSK Promotion Official Site- Race 3, Kacper Sztuka brings US Racing on podium again". www.f4championship.com. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ a b c Jaga Kolawa (14 January 2022). "Z Cieszyna do F1! – Kacper Sztuka". rig.katowice.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ a b Rafał Majchrzak (14 December 2021). "Formuła 4. Kacper Sztuka, czyli 15-latek w świecie wyścigów. "Za pięć lat chcę być w Formule 1" [rozmowa]". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "About me". kacpersztuka-racing.com. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ Ida Wood (29 March 2022). "Kacper Sztuka joins US Racing's Formula 4 driver roster". formulascout.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "Kacper Sztuka". driverdb.com. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ Łukasz Głębocki (22 April 2023). "Kacper Sztuka ze zwycięstwem w pierwszym wyścigu sezonu włoskiej F4". gotowinasport.sts.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "KACPER SZTUKA CROWNED FORMULA WINTER SERIES PREMIERE CHAMPION". formula-winter-series.com. 6 March 2023. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "Utalentowany kierowca Kacper Sztuka dołącza do Akademii ORLEN Team". rmf24.pl (in Polish). 20 April 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ Allen, Peter (22 October 2023). "F4 champions Sztuka and Sharp join final post-season F3 test". Formula Scout. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ "Kacper Sztuka joins MP Motorsport for 2024 season". FIA_Formula 3® - The Official F3® Website. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ Łukasz Kuczera (8 November 2023). "Red Bull postawił na polski talent! Nadzieje na karierę w F1 wzrosły". wp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ Wood, Ida (16 June 2024). "F3 racer Kacper Sztuka leaves Red Bull Junior Team". Formula Scout. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ Londzin, Krzysztof (29 October 2023). "W drodze do Formuły 1. Kacper Sztuka polską nadzieją motorsportu". Beskidzka24.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "About me". kacpersztuka-racing.com. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "O mnie". kacpersztuka-racing.com. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "Polish talent on his way to Formula 1 [VIDEO]". polanddaily.com. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "Kacper Sztuka | Racing career profile | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ kartcom (18 February 2015). "Sztuka Kacper". Kartcom. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ "The eighth edition of Italian F.4 Championship starts at Le Castellet with 37 cars on track". Italian F.4 Championship Powered by Abarth. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021.
External links
edit- Kacper Sztuka career summary at DriverDB.com