This is a visual explainer based on the Wikipedia article on Éric Bernard. Read the full source article here. (opens in new tab)

Éric Bernard: The Unfolding Narrative of a Racing Driver

An academic exploration of his career trajectory from karting circuits to the Formula One grid and beyond.

Biography 👇 Career Records 📊

Dive in with Flashcard Learning!


When you are ready...
🎮 Play the Wiki2Web Clarity Challenge Game🎮

Biography

French Racing Driver

Éric Bernard, born on 24 August 1964, is a distinguished French former racing driver. His professional career spanned significant periods in both Formula One and international sportscar racing. Bernard's journey through motorsport is marked by notable achievements and resilience.

Career Span

Bernard competed in Formula One across several seasons, primarily between 1989 and 1994. His involvement in top-tier single-seater racing was punctuated by periods of recovery and strategic career shifts. Following his Formula One tenure, he transitioned to sportscar racing, achieving considerable success in various GT and American Le Mans Series championships.

Family Connections

Within the racing fraternity, Éric Bernard is notably linked to Charles Pic, a contemporary French racing driver, who is his godson. This connection highlights the enduring presence and influence of racing families within the sport.

Early Career Trajectory

Karting Foundations

Bernard's motorsport journey commenced at the age of 13 in competitive kart racing. Over a seven-year period, he demonstrated significant talent by securing four French national titles, establishing a strong foundation for his future racing endeavors.

Racing School and Formula Renault

His progression led him to attend the prestigious Winfield Racing School at Circuit Paul Ricard. This pivotal experience resulted in his selection for a fully sponsored drive in Formula Renault for the 1984 season. He achieved a sixth-place finish in the series that year, followed by winning the championship in 1985.

Formula Three and Formula 3000

Entering French Formula Three in 1986, Bernard secured the championship title in 1987, finishing second overall in the championship standings behind his rival, Jean Alesi. The subsequent year, he advanced to International Formula 3000, driving for Ralt Team and later Bromley Motorsport. He achieved a second-place finish at Dijon-Prenois and concluded the season in ninth place. In 1989, racing for the DAMS team in Formula 3000, he secured one victory and finished third in the championship standings.

Formula One Career

Debut and Larrousse Years

Bernard made his Formula One debut mid-season in 1989 at the French Grand Prix, driving for the Larrousse team. Despite running as high as fifth, his race concluded prematurely due to engine failure. He continued with Larrousse through 1991. His tenure was marked by securing points, including a notable fourth place at the 1990 British Grand Prix. However, the team faced significant challenges, including engine supply issues and points forfeiture, impacting competitiveness.

Setbacks and Comebacks

A severe leg injury sustained during practice for the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix marked a significant setback. Despite this, Bernard demonstrated remarkable determination in his recovery. For the 1993 season, he secured a test driver role with Ligier, facilitated by his sponsors, Elf Aquitaine. This led to a race seat in 1994.

Podium and Final Appearances

In 1994, driving for Ligier, Bernard achieved his sole Formula One podium finish, securing third place at the German Grand Prix. This was a career highlight amidst a challenging season for the team. His final F1 appearances were with Ligier and later Team Lotus at the end of the 1994 season, before Mika Salo took over the Lotus seat.

Sportscar Racing Success

Transition to Endurance

Following his Formula One career, Bernard successfully transitioned to sportscar racing. He competed across various disciplines, including GT and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).

Championship Runner-Up

His sportscar career yielded significant results, most notably finishing as the runner-up in the 1999 American Le Mans Series championship while driving for Panoz. He also achieved multiple wins in the Sports Racing World Cup during the same year.

Le Mans Participation

Bernard participated in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans multiple times between 1995 and 2002, driving for notable teams such as Courage Compétition, Panoz, and Cadillac. His best overall finish at Le Mans was seventh place in 1999.

Comprehensive Racing Records

Career Summary

Éric Bernard's career is detailed across various racing series. The tables below provide a comprehensive overview of his participation and achievements in Formula One, Formula 3000, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Formula One Career Statistics

The following table summarizes Bernard's Formula One statistics, including entries, starts, points, and podiums.

Formula One World Championship career
Nationality French
Active years 1989–1991, 1994
Teams Larrousse, Ligier, Lotus
Entries 47 (45 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 1
Career points 10
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First entry 1989 French Grand Prix
Last entry 1994 European Grand Prix

Formula 3000 & Formula One Detailed Results

Detailed results from Éric Bernard's Formula 3000 and Formula One campaigns, illustrating race-by-race performance.

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
1984 Championnat de France Formule Renault Turbo ? 11 0 0 0 1 55 7th
1985 Championnat de France Formule Renault Turbo Ecurie Elf 12 6 4 8 9 140 1st
1986 French Formula Three Ecurie Elf 10 0 0 0 2 48 5th
Italian Formula Three 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1987 French Formula Three Ecurie Elf 13 2 3 7 9 129 2nd
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 8th
1988 International Formula 3000 Bromley Motorsport 5 0 0 0 1 13 9th
Ralt Racing 4 0 0 0 0
1989 International Formula 3000 DAMS 10 1 2 3 3 25 3rd
Formula One Equipe Larrousse 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1990 Formula One Espo Larrousse F1 16 0 0 0 0 5 13th
1991 Formula One Larrousse F1 13 0 0 0 0 1 18th
1994 Formula One Ligier Gitanes Blondes 13 0 0 0 1 4 18th
Team Lotus 1 0 0 0 0
1995 24 Hours of Le Mans Courage Compétition 10 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
1996 BPR Global GT Series Ennea/Igol 10 0 0 0 3 155 8th
24 Hours of Le Mans Ennea SRL Igol 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
1997 FIA GT Championship DAMS Panoz 8 0 0 0 0 0 NC
24 Hours of Le Mans Société DAMS 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
1998 FIA GT Championship DAMS 8 0 0 0 2 15 11th
United States Road Racing Championship Panoz-Visteon Racing 5 0 1 0 2 8 4th
24 Hours of Le Mans Panoz Motor Sports 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
1999 American Le Mans Series Panoz Motor Sports 8 2 1 2 4 135 2nd
Sports Racing World Cup DAMS 5 3 1 2 3 60 9th
24 Hours of Le Mans Panoz Motor Sports 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 7th
2000 American Le Mans Series Motorola-DAMS 5 0 0 0 0 66 20th
Sports Racing World Cup 3 0 0 0 0 3 37th
24 Hours of Le Mans DAMS 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 19th
2001 24 Hours of Le Mans DAMS 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2002 American Le Mans Series Team Cadillac 6 0 0 0 0 78 18th
24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 12th
Source:[3]

Complete Formula One Results

Éric Bernard's race-by-race performance in Formula One.

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 WDC Points
1989 Equipe Larrousse Lola LC89 Lamborghini V12 BRA SMR MON MEX USA CAN FRA
11
GBR
Ret
GER HUN BEL ITA POR ESP JPN AUS NC 0
1990 Espo Larrousse F1 Lola LC89B Lamborghini V12 USA
8
BRA
Ret
13th 5
Lola LC90 SMR
13
MON
6
CAN
9
MEX
Ret
FRA
8
GBR
4
GER
Ret
HUN
6
BEL
9
ITA
Ret
POR
Ret
ESP
Ret
JPN
Ret
AUS
Ret
1991 Larrousse F1 Larrousse Lola LC91 Cosworth V8 USA
Ret
BRA
Ret
SMR
Ret
MON
9
CAN
Ret
MEX
6
FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER
Ret
HUN
Ret
BEL
Ret
ITA
Ret
POR
DNQ
ESP
Ret
JPN
DNQ
AUS 18th 1
1994 Ligier Gitanes Blondes Ligier JS39B Renault V10 BRA
Ret
PAC
10
SMR
12
MON
Ret
ESP
8
CAN
13
FRA
Ret
GBR
13
GER
3
HUN
10
BEL
10
ITA
7
POR
10
18th 4
Team Lotus Lotus 109 Mugen Honda V10 EUR
18
JPN AUS
Sources:[5][6]

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Éric Bernard's performance history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1995 French Courage Compétition Henri Pescarolo
Franck Lagorce
Courage C41 WSC 26 DNF DNF
1996 Italian Ennea SRL Igol Jean-Marc Gounon
Paul Belmondo
Ferrari F40 GTE LMGT1 40 DNF DNF
1997 French Société DAMS Franck Lagorce
Jean-Christophe Boullion
Panoz GTR-1 LMGT1 149 DNF DNF
1998 United States Panoz Motor Sports Christophe Tinseau
Johnny O'Connell
Panoz GTR-1 LMGT1 236 DNF DNF
1999 United States Panoz Motor Sports David Brabham
Butch Leitzinger
Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S LMP 336 7th 6th
2000 French DAMS Emmanuel Collard
Franck Montagny
Cadillac Northstar LMP LMP900 300 19th 9th
2001 French DAMS Emmanuel Collard
Marc Goossens
Cadillac Northstar LMP01 LMP900 56 DNF DNF
2002 United States Team Cadillac Emmanuel Collard
JJ Lehto
Cadillac Northstar LMP02 LMP900 334 12th 10th
Sources:[4][7]

Notes

Career Timeline

The exact years Éric Bernard competed in Formula One were 1989–1991 and 1994.

Teacher's Corner

Edit and Print this course in the Wiki2Web Teacher Studio

Edit and Print Materials from this study in the wiki2web studio
Click here to open the "U00c9ric Bernard" Wiki2Web Studio curriculum kit

Use the free Wiki2web Studio to generate printable flashcards, worksheets, exams, and export your materials as a web page or an interactive game.

True or False?

Test Your Knowledge!

Gamer's Corner

Are you ready for the Wiki2Web Clarity Challenge?

Learn about u00c9ric_bernard while playing the wiki2web Clarity Challenge game.
Unlock the mystery image and prove your knowledge by earning trophies. This simple game is addictively fun and is a great way to learn!

Play now

References

References

A full list of references for this article are available at the Éric Bernard Wikipedia page

Feedback & Support

To report an issue with this page, or to find out ways to support the mission, please click here.

Disclaimer

Important Notice

This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is based on a snapshot of publicly available data from Wikipedia and may not be entirely accurate, complete, or up-to-date.

This is not professional advice. The information provided on this website is not a substitute for professional motorsport analysis, career consultation, or technical advice. Always refer to official motorsport regulations and consult with qualified professionals for specific needs.

The creators of this page are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.