In an announcement by the team today, former Formula One racing driver, Charles Pic, has taken the reins of the DAMS team, and will lead them into a new era of racing.
With Managing Director François Sicard and Chief Engineer Rémi Decorzent still leading the team, Olivier and Grégory Driot have handed over their father, Jean-Paul’s legacy, to Pic. Their aim is for DAMS to continue and expand their single-seater campaigns.
Olivier and Grégory Driot, DAMS Co-Team Principals: “Although it is with a heavy heart that we are handing over the team, this is the best way to ensure the DAMS legacy remains and expands. After our father passed, we have always aimed to continue driving the team forwards. However, we know DAMS can excel even further under Charles, and especially with the passionate and loyal people who have been working with us for many years.
“We want the best for DAMS and Charles has a deep knowledge of motorsport. Under his watch the team’s legacy will continue and flourish. We feel our father would have been proud of this next step. When Charles approached us, we thought this was a great opportunity, not only for the staff, but also the legacy of the Driot family. It is a great honour for us to hand over DAMS to another great French motorsport name.”
Charles is no stranger to racing at the highest level. For two seasons he drove for the Marussia and Caterham Formula One teams in 2012/2013, and was test driver for the Lotus F1 team in 2014.
Charles Pic: “I would like to thank Oliver and Grégory for this great opportunity to continue the DAMS story. Our families have been very close for a long time, as Jean-Paul knew my grandfather, who has supported DAMS drivers in the past like my godfather Éric Bernard and Olivier Panis, and he also helped me a lot during my career. This is a huge honour for me to continue Jean-Paul’s legacy in French motorsport.
“I am still very passionate about motorsport, and this is a long-term project. I look forward to working with François Sicard and Rémi Decorzent, who will continue to manage the team on a daily basis and I have full trust in them. I hugely believe DAMS can be successful both on and off track and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve with François, Rémi and the rest of the DAMS team members.”
DAMS are very familiar with success. In their vast history they have achieved 16 teams’ championships, scoring 168 victories in total. In their history of Formula 2, that goes back to Formula 3000, the team’s most recent title was in 2019 with Nicolas Latiffi and Sérgio Sette Câmara.
Included in their 15 driver titles, across various series’, familiar names such as, Romain Grosjean, Davide Valsecchi, and Jolyon Palmer have helped DAMS secure the drivers’ championships, under the GP2 moniker.
Bruno Michel, FIA Formula 2 championship CEO: “Today marks the end of a thirty-year-old era launched and made successful by Jean-Paul Driot. I am glad that Charles Pic is the one to take over DAMS. He shares the same passion for the sport that Jean-Paul had. When Charles was last in our paddock, he was a driver on his way to Formula 1. His desire to be involved in Formula 2 has been well thought out, and his project for DAMS is aligned with the team’s thirst for success. The team has been and remains a driving force on our Formula 2 grid, with a lot of success and a knowledgeable group of people working hard to get back to the top of the field.”
The DAMS driver lineup remains unchanged for 2022, with Williams test driver, Roy Nissany, and Red Bull junior, Ayumu Iwasa leading the way.
With strong family ties, combined with a passion for motor racing, and a vision of how DAMS can continue Jean-Paul Driot’s legacy, Pic’s leadership will surely add to DAMS’s successful record.
Image Credit: Formula Motorsport Limited
