Cristiano da Matta Biography: Cristiano Monteiro da Matta is a former professional racing driver from Brazil. He won the CART Championship in 2002 and competed for Toyota in Formula One from 2003 to 2004. Read this biography till the end.
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Cristiano da Matta Biography
Cristiano da Matta Biography: Cristiano da Matta was born on 19 September 1973 in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He began karting at the age of 16, wearing a helmet that was nearly identical to that of his famous father. He swiftly came to fame after winning multiple karting titles before winning the Brazilian Formula Ford championship in 1993.
In 1994, he continued his winning ways by winning the Brazilian Formula 3 title over Hélio Castroneves and Ricardo Zonta. Da Matta raced in the British Formula 3 series in 1995, winning one race and ninth overall. He finished eighth in the Formula 3000 championship the following year, with a best finish of fourth at Pau.
Cristiano da Matta Wikipedia
| Name | Cristiano da Matta |
| Date Of Birth | 19 September 1973 |
| Birth Place | Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
| Height | 5′ 5″ |
| Weight | 59 kg |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Profession | Racing Driver |
| Net Worth | N/A |
| Car Collection | N/A |
Also Read: Colin Davis Biography, Wiki, Height, Weight, Racing Career & More
Cristiano da Matta Career
In 2003 Da Matta moved to Formula One with the Toyota Formula One team. He scored ten championship points that year, four more than his veteran teammate Olivier Panis, and soon made a name for himself in Formula One when he chased reigning World Champion Michael Schumacher for much of the first half of the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix before ultimately finishing tenth. After a protester invaded the track and triggered the deployment of the Safety Car, he led the 2003 British Grand Prix for seventeen circuits.
This resulted in most front-running cars making unscheduled pit stops, leaving Da Matta in the lead. He finished seventh, one of four points-scoring finishes in his rookie season. His fortunes, however, declined in 2004. After the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, da Matta gave up his race seat to Ricardo Zonta after scoring only three championship points. This was not only due to performance issues but also because Da Matta publicly stated Toyota’s lack of competition.
In 2005, da Matta returned to the Champ Car World Series to compete for PKV Racing. In that season, he won the race at Portland and finished eleventh overall. For the 2006 Champ Car season, he drove the No. 19 Ford Lola for Dale Coyne Racing until June 9, 2006, when he transferred teams once more to assume A. J. Allmendinger’s seat at RuSPORT. His second-place finish in San Jose placed him sixth in the series overall.
On March 20, 2008, da Matta returned to racing for the first time since his accident, concluding a two-day test in a Riley Daytona Prototype prepared by the reigning Rolex Sports Car Series champions, GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing. When he regained speed, team owner Bob Stallings declared, “The comeback has begun.” “After the test, I realized I still know how to do this,” said da Matta. “The greatest emotion I felt was relief.” It was a significant, big relief, more prominent than big”.
In 2008, da Matta teamed up with former Champ Car champion Jimmy Vasser to compete in the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Rolex Series. After a strong race, the duo finished in 32nd place.
Cristiano da Matta Social Media
- Instagram: @cristiano_da_matta
