Ivan Marincic

Ivan Marincic was a Croatian racing driver. A prodigiously talented driver, he was considered the biggest talent of a generation that included Ness Muller, Billy Mathman and Marco Aurelio. At the age of 16, he won the Formula International series, becoming the first and youngest champion of the series. In the next year, he was signed by the newly created Audi in Formula Earth, becoming the youngest ever driver of the series, breaking the record of Max Verstappen. Despite his young age, he was faster than more experienced teammates, like Nicholas Latifi and Felix Neurether. In 2024, he moved to Mercedes and scored his first ever win, becoming the youngest driver to win in the series. However, his breakthrough year was 2026. In a surprising fashion, Marincic pushed the underpowered Mercedes in a driver's title battle, scoring 4 wins. However, in Abu Dhabi, he lost the title by 2 points under controversial circumstanses. Esteban Ocon won the race and Marincic needed to finish second. However, he was unable to get past Verstappen and lost the second place and the title. After this, he accused Verstappen of deliberately blocking him, a statement that has divided the paddock and has not seen an answer yet. After this, 2027 was a rather quiet season, but Marincic became a fan favourite of the sport.

Sadly, in 2028, in the Chinese GP, Marincic attempted to overtake Mathman, but crashed heavily on the Ferrari and fell onto the wall, only to be hit again by the stricken Ferrari. While Mathman escaped uninjured, Marincic was not. An ambulance arrived on sight, and a few hours later, he passed away in the hospital. That was the first casualty in single seaters since Antoine Hubert in 2019. The loss of the Croatian led to massive reactions about the safety of the sport, also referring to the crashes of Daniil Kvyat and Higuinio Azkuenaga, both of them now are in a wheelchair, a national mourning day in Croatia, but most importantly the loss of a prodigy who stunned the paddock. His legacy has left a serious mark on the sport and he is still considered one of the best drivers and people in the history of the sport despite his failure to win the titles.