ENRIQUE BERNOLDI  #36

Birth Date October 19, 1978 Birth Place Curitiba, Brazil Height 5-9 Weight 189 lbs Rookie Year 2008

Team Name Rocketsports Racing Racing Series Champ Car Engine Cosworth Chassis Panoz DP01 Tires Bridgestone

In 2001 he was able to get a drive with Arrows F1 team and did a respectable job, sometimes matching Jos Verstappen. However, he gained notoriety for his efforts at the Monaco Grand Prix when he held up David Coulthard for 35 laps. The Scot had qualified on pole position and was a championship contender at that stage of the season, but had suffered launch control failure on the grid and had to start from last place, so they were fighting for position. After the race, Bernoldi was unjustly slandered by irritated McLaren Mercedes executives that he was never going to make a good racing driver, and Coulthard called him an idiot, though Bernoldi did not have to let Coulthard pass because both were running on the same lap.

However, he was retained by Arrows for 2002. At Sepang he notably overtook Michael Schumacher, having been passed by the German as he attempted to fight through the field after a first-lap incident with Juan Pablo Montoya. However, his efforts in 2002 against Heinz-Harald Frentzen were not perceived as impressive and thus, there was little demand for him when Arrows closed down three-quarters of the way into the 2002 season, and he ended up racing in the Nissan World Series.

2003-2009

Without an F1 ride for the 2003 season, Bernoldi stepped down to the World Series by Nissan and finished 6th in points with two wins. He continued in the series in 2004 and finished 3rd in points with another pair of wins. In mid-2004 he was named a test driver for BAR. He was largely inactive in 2005, aside from a single race in Argentina's TC 2000 Touring Car series, but in 2007 he drove in Stock Car Brasil, competing in 11 of the 12 races and finishing 13th in the championship with a pair of podium finishes. In 2008 he went to the Champ Car World Series as part of the Conquest Racing team. He faired ok with adverage results. In 2009 he will be back in Champ Car as he signs a new contract with Champ Car team Rocketsports Racing.

Before the 2008 season began, Bernoldi chased a drive in the USA, and signed with Conquest Racing for the 2008 Champ Car World Series. However, after a 2008 season that saw alot of ups and downs the Conquest team decided not to renew Bernoldi's contract. It was later announced that Bernoldi would drive for Rocketsports Racing in Champ Car for the 2009 season. Bernoldi hopes to have a better result in 2009.