Tio Ellinas

Eftihios “Tio” Ellinas

Tio Ellinas as a Formula Ford driver in 2009.
Nationality Cypriot
Born 27 January 1992
Larnaca (Cyprus)
Formula Renault 3.5 Series career
Debut season 2015
Current team Strakka Racing
Car no. 12
Previous series
2014
2012-13
2011
2010		 GP2 Series
GP3 Series
Formula Renault UK
Formula Ford UK
Championship titles
2009 Grand Prix Shootout
Awards
2010 FF UK Rookie of the Year

Eftihios “Tio” Ellinas (born 27 January 1992 in Larnaca, Cyprus) is a Cypriot race car driver. Ellinas began racing go-karts at the age of seven, and from 2003 - 2009 won 10 karting championships in Cyprus, in 2005 winning the ROK Cup International Final.

He was the winner of Grand Prix Shootout in the UK in 2009 competing against 50 other top young drivers from all over the world.

In 2010, he competed in the MSA Dunlop Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain racing with the JTR Team. He won three races and finished fourth in the championship, the highest placing for a novice driver since Jenson Button in 1998, earning him "Rookie Of The Year" honors.

In 2011, Ellinas raced in the UK Formula Renault 2.0 championship for the Atech Reid GP Team, finishing third overall. He joined Marussia Manor Racing for the 2012 GP3 Series season.

For 2013, he will test more than once for the Marussia F1 Team.[1]

Career

Karting

Ellinas' first taste of motorsport came when he was seven years old racing in karts. He competed in 131 races winning 101 of them with 20 further podium finishes. His championship positions are as follows:

Grand Prix Shootout

Ellinas dominated the Formula Ford race weekend at Rockingham in July 2010.

Ellinas took part in the inaugural Grand Prix Shootout competition in the United Kingdom in 2009. He was assessed by the world famous driving coach Rob Wilson in September 2009 as part of the competition. He then completed a number of sessions in a Double R Racing Formula BMW car at the Pembrey Circuit in Wales. In January 2010, Ellinas was announced as the first Grand Prix Shootout winner at the Autosport International exhibition. He had taken on fifty other karters and drivers with over 100 major racing titles between them, and in the end was the runaway winner.

Formula Ford

See also: Formula Ford

Ellinas competed in the MSA Dunlop Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain with the JTR team. He was only the second driver since the legendary Ayrton Senna to start on the front row of a British Formula Ford race in his car racing debut, and was also the fastest driver at every wet test during that first year. Ellinas's fourth position overall in the 2010 MSA British Formula Ford championship earned him Rookie Of The Year honors, and is the best result for a rookie driver since the current McLaren Formula One driver and 2009 World Drivers' Champion, Jenson Button, in 1998.

Formula Renault

See also: Formula Renault

Ellinas competed in the Formula Renault UK championship with the Atech Reid GP team and finished third overall.

GP3 Series

Ellinas contested the 2012 GP3 Series season debut with Marussia Manor Racing.[2] He finished the season eighth overall, recording one win and one podium finish in the season finale at Monza.

Formula One

On 17 June 2013, it was announced that Ellinas would carry out a scheduled straightline aerodynamic evaluation test session with the Marussia Formula One team at Kemble airfield in Gloucestershire, England. In doing so, he became the first Cypriot to drive a Formula One car. As a reward for being the highest-placed Marussia Manor driver at the end of the 2012 GP3 Series season, Ellinas will also take part in the 2013 Young Driver Tests with Marussia F1.[3][4]

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Team name Races Wins Poles F.L. Podiums Points Position
2010 British Formula Ford JTR 25 3 2 4 8 451 4th
Formula Ford Festival 4 2 2 3 4 N/A 3rd
2011 Formula Renault UK Atech Reid GP 20 2 1 1 15 475 3rd
2012 GP3 Series Marussia Manor Racing 16 1 0 3 2 97 8th
2013 GP3 Series Marussia Manor Racing 16 2 1 1 3 116 4th
2013–14 MRF Racing Series MRF CHALLENGE 2013 13 3 3 6 10 182 2nd
2014 GP2 Series MP Motorsport 8 0 0 0 0 7 22nd
Rapax

Complete GP3 Series results

(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 DC Points
2012 Marussia Manor Racing ESP
FEA
7		 ESP
SPR
15		 MON
FEA
9		 MON
SPR
8		 VAL
FEA
4		 VAL
SPR
5		 GBR
FEA
6		 GBR
SPR
4		 GER
FEA
10		 GER
SPR
7		 HUN
FEA
13		 HUN
SPR
4		 BEL
FEA
4		 BEL
SPR
Ret		 ITA
FEA
2		 ITA
SPR
1		 8th 97
2013 Marussia Manor Racing ESP
FEA
1		 ESP
SPR
4		 VAL
FEA
6		 VAL
SPR
4		 GBR
FEA
5		 GBR
SPR
6		 GER
FEA
2		 GER
SPR
5		 HUN
FEA
11		 HUN
SPR
10		 BEL
FEA
8		 BEL
SPR
Ret		 ITA
FEA
Ret		 ITA
SPR
11		 ABU
FEA
7		 ABU
SPR
1		 4th 116

Complete GP2 Series results

(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 21 22 DC Points
2014 MP Motorsport BHR
FEA		 BHR
SPR		 ESP
FEA
7		 ESP
SPR
11		 MON
FEA
10		 MON
SPR
22		 AUT
FEA
23		 AUT
SPR
22		 GBR
FEA		 GBR
SPR		 GER
FEA		 GER
SPR		 HUN
FEA		 HUN
SPR		 BEL
FEA		 BEL
SPR		 ITA
FEA		 ITA
SPR		 22nd 7
Rapax RUS
FEA
21		 RUS
SPR
14		 ABU
FEA		 ABU
SPR

Personal life

Ellinas continues to live in Larnaca, Cyprus.

References

  1. ↑ "GP3 driver Ellinas to test for Marussia in 2013". ESPNdate=13 September 2012.
  2. ↑ Ellinas completes Marussia Manor Racing GP3 driver line-up, GP3 Series.
  3. ↑ Collantine, Keith (13 September 2012). "Ellinas handed 2013 Marussia test chance". F1 Fanatic (Keith Collantine). Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  4. ↑ Ellinas to make F1 history for Cyprus inCyprus.com.cy

External links