Giedo van der Garde has announced his retirement from racing, via a video on Instagram, where he says he has found “new passions and challenges to discover” since becoming a father.
The 38-year-old Dutchman has had a varied career, competing for Caterham F1 team in 2013 before launching a sportscar career in 2016, after a year as Sauber’s reserve driver in F1 in 2014 and a further year out of racing.
He won the European Le Mans Series title in his debut year, in 2016, driving for G-Drive Racing alongside Simon Dolan and Harry Tincknell. He then went on to race with Racing Team Nederland in the FIA World Championship from 2018 to 2021, winning the 6 Hours of Fuji in LMP2.
After a year out of the series he returned in 2023, with United Autosports, for the 6 Hours of Portimao, winning the race.
On Instagram, announcing his retirement, he said:
“It all started with passion. Just me and my dad, just pure racing. Then we took on the world, and we conquered it.
“Racing became my life. I met new rivals, and made new friends, won some races lost a few, and then made my dream come true. I was knocked down, but got back up, because the passion was still there.
“Again, I made new friends, won some races, and even conquer the world again. But by now, it was a new world. A world in which I’m a dad myself, a world which revolves around my wonderful family and the love of my life.
“A world in which I have found new passions and new challenges to discover. Therefore, today I say goodbye to racing. A little sad, maybe, but proud and happy all the same. It has been quite alright. Thanks to all of you who made this happen. The years went by in a flash, but I remember them forever.”
The Dutchman has a new career in motorsport broadcasting, as an analyst on Ditch TV channel Viaplay, which hosts the country’s Formula 1 coverage.
