Giovanni de Ziel

Giovanni de Ziel is a Surinamese-born Dutch racing driver. De Ziel is considered to be a generational talent and the biggest Dutch talent since Max Verstappen. De Ziel debuted at a young age for Venturi as a replacement driver in 2022 and quickly impressed. Nissan quickly snapped him up and made him the lead driver for the 2023 season. The young Dutchman scored 3 wins on his way to 3rd on the standings, only being beaten by the Tesla Dragon drivers. Sauber picked him up in 2024 and gave him a chance to finally race in Formula Earth. He showed glimpses of his potential at the struggling team on the 3 seasons he stayed with the Siwss team, and even scored fastest laps on occasion. His best year was 2026 with 5 points, establishing himself as an overachiever of the paddock. In 2027 he moved to the money-saving Red Bull. In the final race of 2027, de Ziel scored his first ever podium with a second place finish at Abu Dhabi. Due to the manufacturer's tactics for the transition to the new regulations of 2032, de Ziel was stuck in the midfield for 2028 and 2029, but was consistently faster than his own car. In 2030, he moved to the resurgent Mercedes on his way to fulfill his potential, which he did. With 1 race to go, de Ziel won his first ever drivers title, becoming the first Dutch driver to do so and the first ever Mercedes driver since Valtteri Bottas in 2021, scoring 4 wins and fending off Ness Muller and Charles Leclerc. In 2032, he made a surprising move to McLaren.