Funded by his former racing driver dad, Alfonso Celis had a muted set of results in smaller junior series’ as well as GP3 before being snapped up as a reserve driver by the Force India F1 team. He signed up for the 2016 season with a good number of free practice sessions included in the deal, the first coming in Bahrain.

F1 biography

Alfonso Celis started racing in Mexico, participating in national karting championships and moving up to Latin America single seater events. Backed by his father of the same name, a former racer himself, Celis moved to Europe, joining the Formula BMW Talent Cup followed by Formula Renault and Formula Three.

Celis then moved to the GP3 series, joining the Status Grand Prix squad for his debut series, and the ART outfit in 2015. Although his results didn’t contain anything outstanding, the significant backing that came with him enabled Alfonso to secure a reserve driver seat with the Force India F1 team in 2016.

The deal comes with a guaranteed seven free practice outings, with the first coming at the second round of the season in Bahrain.