Tarso Marques

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Tarso Marques

Marques in 2007, as a Stock Car Brasil driver
Nationality Brazilian

Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1996 - 1997, 2001
Teams	Minardi
Races	26 (24 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podium finishes	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First race	1996 Brazilian Grand Prix
Last race	2001 Belgian Grand Prix

Tarso Anibal Santanna Marques (born January 19, 1976 in Curitiba) is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 24 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on March 31, 1996. He scored no championship points in three separate seasons, all driving for the Minardi team, never completing a full year in Formula One.

1 Career
2 Motorsports career results
- 2.1 Complete Formula One results
- 2.2 American Open-Wheel
  - 2.2.1 Champ Car
3 External links

[edit] Career

After five years of karting, Marques raced in Formula Chevrolet in his home country aged only 16, and he won the title at his first attempt. In 1993 he moved up to Formula Three Sudamericana and subsequently European Formula 3000, and became the youngest driver to win races at both levels. In 1996, he started racing for Minardi in Formula One, competing with various drivers for the seat over the following two years, including Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli and Pedro Lamy. Minardi's financial situation demanded that drivers with strong sponsorship were generally favoured, and there were several driver changes in the team at that time.

In 1999, he moved stateside to drive in the American Champ Car ranks, and caught the eye of legendary team-owner Roger Penske. When two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. was injured, Penske asked him to fill in. His best finish was 9th. In 2000, 2004, and 2005, he drove sporadically in that series for perennial hopeful team owner Dale Coyne, with a best result of 11th.

Marques returned to Formula One in 2001 to race alongside future World Champion Fernando Alonso in the Minardi team, newly purchased by Paul Stoddart. It was a difficult season for Marques, with the team's financial difficulties not always allowing equal equipment for both drivers. Marques was employed under the provision that another driver with more sponsorship money could replace him at any point in the season, and that prospect was realised towards the end of the year, when Minardi replaced Marques with Alex Yoong.

Since his last Champ Car outing in 2005, Marques has returned to South America to drive in the TC2000 and Stock Car Brasil touring car championships.

[edit] Motorsports career results

[edit] Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	WDC
1996	Minardi Team	Minardi M195B	Ford V8	AUS	BRA Ret	ARG Ret	EUR	SMR	MON	ESP	CAN	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	POR	JPN		-
1997	Minardi Team	Minardi M197	Hart V8	AUS	BRA	SMR	MON	ESP	CAN	FRA Ret	GBR 10	GER Ret	HUN 12	BEL Ret	ITA 14	AUT EX	LUX Ret	JPN Ret	EUR 15		-
2001	European Minardi F1	Minardi PS01	European V10	AUS Ret	MAL 14	BRA 9	SAN Ret	ESP 16	AUT Ret	MON Ret	CAN 9	EUR Ret	FRA 15	GBR DNQ	GER Ret						-
2001	European Minardi F1	Minardi PS01B	European V10													HUN Ret	BEL 13	ITA	USA	JPN	-