| Ómar Julián Leal Covelli | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Colombian |
| Born | May 11, 1990 Bucaramanga (Colombia) |
| 2012 GP2 Series | |
| Debut season | 2011 |
| Current team | Rapax |
| Car no. | 2 |
| Starts | 18 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| Best finish | 27th in 2011 |
| Previous series | |
| 2011 2009–2010 2007–08 2007–08 2006–07 |
GP2 Asia Series Formula Renault 3.5 Series Italian Formula 3000 Euroseries 3000 FR2.0 PanamGP |
| Championship titles | |
| 2008 | Italian Formula 3000 |
Ómar Julián Leal Covelli, commonly known as Julián Leal, (born May 11, 1990 in Bucaramanga) is a professional racing driver from Colombia, although he has also competed with an Italian licence in the GP2 Series.
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Leal began his racing career in 2006 in the Formula Renault 2.0 PanamGP series, scoring two podium finishes in seven races to finish ninth in the standings. He also took part in two races of the series the following year.
The following season, Leal moved to Europe to compete in the Euroseries 3000 championship. Driving for the Italian Durango team, he finished ninth in the Euroseries standings and eleventh in the Italian Formula 3000 championship, which ran as part of the main series.
He continued in the championship in 2008, finishing sixth in the Euroseries after securing four podium places in fifteen races.[1] In September of that year, he won the Italian Formula 3000 championship at Misano, beating both Fabio Onidi and Nicolas Prost to the title by a single point.[2]
At the end of 2008, Leal took part in Formula Renault 3.5 Series testing at Paul Ricard and Valencia, driving for both Draco Racing and Prema Powerteam. In December 2008, it was announced that Leal had signed with Prema Powerteam for the 2009 season.[3] He had a testing first season in the category, with a podium at the Hungaroring being his only points–scoring finish, as he wound up 20th in the standings.
In the off–season, Leal tested for both Prema and Mofaz Racing at the Circuit de Catalunya and in December 2009, it was announced that he would drive for Draco Racing in the 2010 season, partnering Formula Renault graduate Nathanaël Berthon.[4] He again finished the season in 20th position after struggling to match his rookie team–mate, with his best race result being a fourth place at the first race in Brno.[5]
In March 2010, it was announced that Leal would also compete in the new Auto GP championship, competing for the Italian team Trident Racing.[6] He finished seventh in the final standings, with the highlight of his season coming at the penultimate round at the brand–new Circuito de Navarra, where he won the first race after starting from pole position.[7]
In November 2010, Leal tested a GP2 Series car for the first time, taking part in the post–season test at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, and in January 2011 it was announced that he had signed with the Rapax Team to contest the GP2 Asia Series season, lining–up alongside Fabio Leimer.[8] He had initially signed to contest only the Asia series, but in March 2011 it was confirmed that he would stay with the team for the main 2011 championship, in which he finished 27th.[9]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Formula Renault 2.0 PanamGP | Penix Unico | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 72 | 9th |
| 2007 | Formula Renault 2.0 PanamGP | ? | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 17th |
| Euroseries 3000 | Durango | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 9th | |
| Italian Formula 3000 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11th | ||
| 2008 | Euroseries 3000 | Durango | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 6th |
| Italian Formula 3000 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 35 | 1st | ||
| 2009 | Formula Renault 3.5 Series | Prema Powerteam | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 20th |
| 2010 | Formula Renault 3.5 Series | International DracoRacing | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 20th |
| Auto GP | Trident Racing | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 9th | |
| 2011 | GP2 Asia Series | Rapax | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26th |
| GP2 Series | Rapax | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27th |
(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 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Rapax | TUR FEA 19 |
TUR SPR Ret |
ESP FEA 17 |
ESP SPR 14 |
MON FEA Ret |
MON SPR Ret |
VAL FEA 11 |
VAL SPR 9 |
GBR FEA 22 |
GBR SPR 21 |
GER FEA 14 |
GER SPR 9 |
HUN FEA 20 |
HUN SPR Ret |
BEL FEA Ret |
BEL SPR Ret |
ITA FEA 16 |
ITA SPR Ret |
27th | 0 |
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Rapax | ABU FEA Ret |
ABU SPR 17 |
ITA FEA 17 |
ITA SPR 18 |
26th | 0 |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Davide Rigon |
Italian F3000 champion 2008 |
Succeeded by Will Bratt |
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