Clement_Novalak

Clément Novalak

Clément Novalak

French-Swiss racing driver


Clément Novalak (French pronunciation: [kle.mɑ̃ nɔ.va.lak]; born 23 December 2000) is a French-Swiss racing driver who currently competes in the European Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans for Inter Europol Competition,[1] having most recently competed in the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2022 and 2023 for MP Motorsport and Trident, respectively.

Quick Facts Nationality, Born ...

He previously raced in the FIA Formula 3 Championship for Carlin and Trident, whom he finished third in the standings with in 2021, and won the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with Carlin in 2019.

Junior racing career

Karting

Novalak started karting in France when he was 10 years old. He won a couple of championships, his first of which was in 2015 at the WSK Super Master Series. He competed all around Europe including France, Sweden, Italy and the UK. In 2014, Novalak received backing from former karting champion and Hitech Grand Prix founder Oliver Oakes.[2]

Toyota Racing Series

In 2018, Novalak made his single-seater debut in the championship with Giles Motorsport.[3] Claiming two wins at Teretonga and Hampton Downs saw him end the season fifth and as top rookie.[4][5]

Formula Renault Eurocup

Novalak racing in the 2018 Formula Renault Eurocup

Following his performance in the Toyota Racing Series, Novalak was signed to Josef Kaufmann Racing for the 2018 season.[6]

British Formula 3

Novalak's first season in British F3 was in 2018 with Carlin. The first race of the season he took pole at Oulton Park, however he would retire from the race. Novalak competed in 4 of the 8 rounds in that season with the best finish being 4th, he finished the season in 18th with 120 points, only two points behind the swede Arvin Esmaeili who had a full-time drive.

In 2019 Novalak got a full-time drive with Carlin. He got two poles and two wins, in the second race of the final round of the season himself and championship rival Johnathan Hoggard collided meaning they both finished at the bottom end of the points. Hoggard finished 15th whereas Novalak finished 12th which gave him 4 points, enough to win him the title despite Hoggard winning the final race.

FIA Formula 3 Championship

2020

Following his British F3 title win, Novalak joined Carlin for the second and third days of the post-season test at Valencia.[7][8] In February 2020, Novalak was named as part of Carlin's lineup for the 2020 season,[9] which includes him, Cameron Das and Enaam Ahmed. He scored his first podium in Austria.

2021

Novalak driving the Dallara F3 2019 during the 2021 Spielberg Formula 3 round

In the post-season test at Catalunya, Novalak joined the Trident outfit and set the fastest time of the second day's morning session.[10][11] He ended up signing with the team for the 2021 season, driving alongside Jack Doohan and David Schumacher.[12] At the first round in Barcelona, Novalak scored his first podium of the year in Sprint Race 1, finishing second, and would add to his points tally in the remaining two races of the weekend.[13] More points came in all three races at his home circuit, Le Castellet, despite which Novalak commented that consistency was "not good enough" for a title battle.[14] Bad luck befell him in the third event at the Red Bull Ring, where the Frenchman collided with Matteo Nannini whilst battling for the lead in the closing stages of the first sprint race.[15] Another crash, this time caused by Arthur Leclerc, forced Novalak out of the feature race, meaning that he wouldn't score points that round.[16]

At the next two rounds in Budapest and Spa, Novalak scored points in all six races, even managing to set the fastest lap in Sprint Race 2 in the latter event.[17] This would be followed up by a double podium at Zandvoort, with Novalak profiting from a collision between his teammate Schumacher and Victor Martins to take second on Sunday.[18][19] At the season finale in Sochi, Novalak was embroiled in a battle for the lead with teammate Doohan, as the Australian ignored his team's instructions to let Novalak past, which meant that Doohan won the race, whilst Novalak had to settle for third, having been overtaken by Frederik Vesti near the end of the race.[20] Despite this, Novalak, who ended up third in the drivers' championship, had helped Trident to take the teams' title.[21]

FIA Formula 2 Championship

2021

During November 2021, MP Motorsport announced that Novalak would replace Lirim Zendeli for the final 2 races of the 2021 season and contest the full season with them in 2022.[22] His best finish ended up being 14th, which he achieved in three separate races.

2022

Novalak driving the Dallara F2 2018 during the 2022 Spielberg Formula 2 round.

For the 2022 season, Novalak would be partnered by Felipe Drugovich. The Frenchman started his season out slowly, having to wait until the round at Imola for his first points in the category.[23] More points would follow in Barcelona, where Novalak took fifth place in the feature race, although this would be his final top-ten finish for the subsequent four rounds. After the summer break, Novalak scored his only podium of the year, finishing second in the sprint race at Zandvoort.[24] He ended his season 14th in the drivers' standings, helping MP to win the teams' title.[25]

2023

Novalak driving for Trident during the 2023 Spielberg Formula 2 round.

Shortly before the 2022 post-season test, Novalak was announced to be reuniting with Trident for the 2023 season. Partnering him would be Czech rookie Roman Staněk.[26]

The opening three rounds yielded little success, as Novalak continued to struggle in qualifying, leaving him with a best finish of eleventh at Melbourne.[27] Chaos near the end of the Baku sprint race enabled the Frenchman to score his first points, which he described as a relief, whilst also stating that it had been "a weekend of what could have been" due to his starting spot of 19th.[28] Top ten finishes eluded Novalak during the subsequent rounds, although the round in Austria brought a highlight: despite qualifying in 20th, a decision to start on dry tyres benefited Novalak, who was able to gain a heap of positions on a drying track, leading him on to finish third.[29] However, post-race inspections found that the car's rear tyre pressures were below the legal limit, forcing the race officials to disqualify Novalak.[30][31]

Three further events without points followed, including a mistake at Budapest, where Novalak lost control under breaking during Saturday's sprint race and collided into Ralph Boschung, earning himself a five-place grid penalty.[32] In Zandvoort, Novalak ended up with a starting spot of 13th after bringing the qualifying session to an early end, having hit the barrier on the exit of turn three.[33] On Sunday, the seas parted for the French driver, who found himself in the lead, having stopped shortly before a safety car intervention. He would hold off Zane Maloney for the remainder of the contest, creating a gap before taking his maiden win in Formula 2.[34][35]

Novalak left Trident prior to the season finale at Yas Marina and was replace by Formula 3 graduate Paul Aron.[36]

Formula One

In 2017, Novalak partook in an assessment with the Ferrari Driver Academy.[3]

Endurance racing career

In November 2023, Novalak participated in the WEC rookie test at the Bahrain International Circuit, testing an LMP2 car with Inter Europol Competition.[37]

2024

The following month, he was announced to be contesting the full European Le Mans Series season with the team for 2024, as well as making his endurance racing debut for Inter Europol at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January 2024.[38][39]

Personal life

Novalak was born in the French city of Avignon to a French father and Swiss mother. He moved to Montreux in Switzerland as a child and again to Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom in his teens. He claimed in a 2020 interview that, similar to Bertrand Gachot, "...I would probably consider myself European nowadays."[40] In 2021, he raced under a French license as he stated that his "origins are French" and despite him "[not having] lived there a lot [he] was born there and each time [he] took a train or a plane in France, [he felt] at home."[41]

Novalak's father, who had introduced him to motorsport, died in 2017, as a result of which the Frenchman added his father's birthday to his helmet in Roman numerals.[42]

Karting record

Karting career summary

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Racing record

Racing career summary

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As Novalak was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Complete Toyota Racing Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

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Complete Formula Renault Eurocup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

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Complete Formula Renault Northern European Cup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

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As Novalak was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

Complete BRDC British Formula 3 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Team ...

Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position points; races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

More information Year, Entrant ...

Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

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Complete European Le Mans Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Entrant ...

* Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

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References

  1. Goodwin, Graham (3 May 2024). "Inter Europol Reveals Trio For Le Mans". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  2. "CLEMENT NOVALAK, RISING STAR". May 18, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  3. Allen, Peter (October 17, 2017). "Karter Clement Novalak to contest 2018 Toyota Racing Series". FormulaScout. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  4. Carrell, Benjamin (January 24, 2018). "Former world kart champion Clement Novalak shapes as Toyota Racing Series threat". Stuff. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  5. Budge, Dale (January 28, 2018). "Motorsport: Clement Novalak continues Toyota Racing Series surge". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  6. Wood, Elliot (February 21, 2018). "Clement Novalak to contest both Formula Renault Eurocup and British F3". FormulaScout. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  7. "Post-season testing Day 2 Entry List". October 20, 2019. Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  8. "Post-season testing Day 3 entry list". October 21, 2019. Archived from the original on October 22, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  9. "Novalak, Ahmed and Das join Carlin Buzz Racing for 2020". February 24, 2020. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  10. "FIA Formula 3 returns to action for Barcelona post-season test". October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  11. "Novalak switches to Trident for second season in F3". FIAFormula3® - The Official F3® Website. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  12. "2021 Round 1 post-Race 1 press conference". FIAFormula3® - The Official F3® Website. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  13. "RACE 3: Vesti clinches dominant first win for ART Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring". FIAFormula3® - The Official F3® Website. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  14. "Novalak's Guest Column: Zandvoort is one of the most spectacular racetracks I've driven on". FIAFormula3® - The Official F3® Website. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  15. "2021 Round 6 post-Race 3 press conference". FIAFormula3® - The Official F3® Website. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  16. "2021 Round 7 post-Race 3 press conference". FIAFormula3® - The Official F3® Website. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  17. "RACE 3: Trident clinch the Teams' title as Doohan wins in Sochi". FIAFormula3® - The Official F3® Website. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  18. "MP Motorsport announce Novalak for final two rounds of 2021 and full 2022 season". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  19. "Novalak says first F2 points will bring 'a lot of confidence' going forward". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  20. "2022 Round 12 post-Sprint Race press conference". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  21. "Dorsman credits Drugovich and MP Motorsport's maturity for F2 Championship double". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  22. "Clément Novalak reunites with Trident for 2023 F2 season". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  23. MotorSport, Trident. "FIA F2 Championship, Melbourne, Feature Race Report". Trident Motorsport (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  24. "Novalak disqualified and three drivers penalised following Spielberg Sprint Race". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  25. "Novalak: 'We can build on Spielberg performance' as Trident searches for consistency". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  26. "Novalak handed grid penalty for Budapest Feature Race". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  27. "QUALIFYING: Crawford makes it count for maiden pole in dramatic Zandvoort session". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  28. Harper, Aaron (2023-08-27). "Novalak takes maiden F2 win as title challengers falter". www.insideF2.com. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  29. Wood, Ida (20 November 2023). "Paul Aron gets F2 debut by replacing Trident's Novalak in Abu Dhabi". Formula Scout. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  30. Thukral, Rachit (5 November 2023). "Jota Porsche tops first Bahrain rookie test session as Rossi makes debut". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  31. Jérémy Satis (12 February 2021). "Clément Novalak signe avec Trident" (in French). Auto Hebdo.
  32. "Paying tribute to his dad, the story behind Clément Novalak's helmet design". FIA_F2® - The Official F2® Website. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
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