| Birth date | 22 January 1975 (age 51) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | São Paulo, Brazil |
| Relatives | Nicolas Giaffone (son) Affonso Giaffone (cousin) |
| Last series | Indy Racing League IndyCar Series |
| Years active | 2001–2006 |
| Teams | Mo Nunn Racing Dreyer & Reinbold Racing A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
| Starts | 61 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Best finish | 4th |
| Year | 2002 |
| Prev series | Indy Lights Toyota Atlantic |
| Prev series years | 1996–2000 1995 |
| Titles | Fórmula Truck Champion Copa Truck Champion |
| Title years | 2007, 2009, 2011, 2016 2017 |
| Awards | Indy Racing League Rookie of the Year |
| Award years | 2001 |
Felipe Giaffone (pt-BR; born 22 January 1975) is a Brazilian racing driver. Giaffone competed in the Indy Racing League between 2001 and 2006, with a best season finish of fourth in the 2002 season with a single win at Kentucky. Later he switched to truck racing, claiming a total eight titles between Fórmula Truck and Copa Truck.[1]
From 2008 to 2018, Giaffone worked as part-time commentator on IndyCar Series broadcasts on Rede Bandeirantes. In 2019 he joined Rede Globo to continue in that role on Formula One broadcasts. In 2021, he returned to Band as the network got the rights for F1 races.[2] In 2026, he switched back to Globo to continue in Formula One broadcasts but in pay television channel SporTV.[3]
His father, "Zeca" Giaffone is the 1987 Stock Car Brasil champion and a Mil Milhas Brasil five-time winner in the 1980s.
Racing career
Giaffone went to the United States to drive in the Indy Lights series in 1999 where he was coached by Formula One legend and countryman Nelson Piquet. He began racing in the IRL in 2001 and won one race at Kentucky Speedway in 2002. In 2003, Giaffonewas one of the IRL's representatives in the IROC series, but he only competed in two races due to injury and finished tenth in series standings. In 2005, Giaffone made a last minute deal with A. J. Foyt to qualify a third car for him in the Indianapolis 500. With minutes to spare, Giaffone bumped Arie Luyendyk Jr. from the field. Starting in the final 33rd starting position, he avoided attrition and finished fifteenth. With A. J.'s grandson A. J. Foyt IV leaving the IRL for NASCAR in 2006, A. J. the elder chose Giaffone to be his full-time driver for the 2006 season but he was released after eight races due to what Foyt called "communication problems".
In 2007, Giaffone returned to Brazil to race in the Fórmula Truck. He won the championship four times in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2016, and was runner-up in 2010, 2012 and 2014. In 2017 he switched to the Copa Truck, where he claimed four titles in 2017, 2023, 2024 and 2025, and two runner-ups in 2018 and 2022.
Racing record
American Open Wheel racing results
(key)
Indy Lights
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Leading Edge Motorsport | MIA 14 | LBH 24 | NAZ 13 | MIS 10 | MIL 9 | DET 18 | POR 16 | CLE 6 | TOR | TRO | 17th | 20 | [4] | ||||
| Brian Stewart Racing | VAN 22 | LS 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Conquest Racing | MIA 19 | LBH 24 | NAZ 8 | STL 4 | MIL 2 | DET 9 | POR 2 | CLE 8 | TOR 6 | MIS 9 | TRO 6 | VAN 5 | LS 18 | FON 2 | 4th | 104 | [5] |
| 1999 | Conquest Racing | MIA 17 | LBH 10 | NAZ 18 | MIL 4 | POR 10 | CLE 3 | TOR 4 | MIS 3 | DET 4 | CHI 8 | LS 18 | FON 20 | 6th | 78 | [6] | ||
| 2000 | Conquest Racing | LBH 3 | MIL 12 | DET 2 | POR 14 | MIS 1 | CHI 4 | MDO 13 | VAN 2 | LS 6 | STL 7 | HOU 3 | FON 7 | 4th | 118 | [7] | ||
IndyCar Series
| Year | Team | No. | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Treadway-Hubbard Racing | 21 | G-Force GF05B | Oldsmobile Aurora V8 | PHX 6 | HMS 4 | ATL 10 | INDY 10 | TXS 2 | PPI 7 | RIR 11 | KAN 4 | NSH 8 | KTY 8 | STL 20 | CHI 10 | TX2 21 | 6th | 304 | [8] | ||||
| 2002 | Mo Nunn Racing | G-Force GF05C | Chevrolet Indy V8 | HMS 7 | PHX 19 | FON 6 | NZR 2 | INDY 3 | TXS 5 | PPI 4 | RIR 3 | KAN 4 | NSH 7 | MIS 3 | KTY 1 | STL 21 | CHI 6 | TX2 17 | 4th | 432 | [9] | |||
| 2003 | G-Force GF09 | Toyota Indy V8 | HMS 9 | PHX 3 | MOT 3 | INDY 33 | TXS 17 | PPI 13 | RIR 6 | KAN 22 | NSH Inj | MIS Inj | STL Inj | KTY Inj | NZR Inj | CHI 15 | FON 16 | TX2 19 | 20th | 199 | [10] | |||
| 2004 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 24 | Dallara IR-04 | Chevrolet Indy V8 | HMS | PHX | MOT | INDY 15 | TXS 9 | RIR 10 | KAN 16 | NSH 15 | MIL 13 | MIS 16 | KTY 16 | PPI 16 | NZR 16 | CHI 8 | FON 20 | TX2 11 | 20th | 214 | [11] | |
| 2005 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | 48 | Panoz GF09C | Toyota Indy V8 | HMS | PHX | STP | MOT | INDY 15 | TXS | RIR | KAN | NSH | MIL | MIS | KTY | PPIR | SNM | CHI | WGL | FON | 31st | 15 | [12] |
| 2006 | 14 | Dallara IR-05 | Honda HI6R V8 | HMS 8 | STP 9 | MOT 15 | INDY 21 | WGL 5 | TXS 16 | RIR 17 | KAN 19 | NSH | MIL | MIS | KTY | SNM | CHI | 17th | 142 | [13] | ||||
IndyCar Series career summary
| Year | Team | Starts | Wins | Points | Championship Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Treadway Racing | 13 | 0 | 304 | 6th |
| 2002 | Mo Nunn Racing | 15 | 1 | 432 | 4th |
| 2003 | Mo Nunn Racing | 11 | 0 | 199 | 20th |
| 2004 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 13 | 0 | 214 | 20th |
| 2005 | Foyt Enterprises | 1 | 0 | 15 | 30th |
| 2006 | Foyt Enterprises | 8 | 0 | 142 | 17th |
Indianapolis 500
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | G-Force GF05B | Oldsmobile Aurora V8 | 33 | 10 | Treadway Racing |
| 2002 | G-Force GF05C | Chevrolet Indy V8 | 4 | 3 | Mo Nunn Racing |
| 2003 | G-Force GF09 | Toyota Indy V8 | 16 | 33 | Mo Nunn Racing |
| 2004 | Dallara IR-04 | Chevrolet Indy V8 | 25 | 15 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
| 2005 | Panoz GF09C | Toyota Indy V8 | 33 | 15 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
| 2006 | Dallara IR-05 | Honda HI6R V8 | 21 | 21 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
Fórmula Truck
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | RAM-Scania | CAR NP | GOI 5 | SAO Ret | GUA NP | LON 7 | CAM C | CUR 2 | TAR 8 | BSB Ret | 14º | 25 | |
| 2007 | RMC-Volkswagen | CAS 7 | TAR 5 | SAO 1 | FOR 1 | CAR 1 | GOI Ret | CUR 1 | CAM 2 | BSB 5 | 1º | 156 | |
| 2008 | RMC-Volkswagen | GUA 6 | GOI 4 | CAR 1 | FOR Ret | SAO 7 | LON 3 | CAM 3 | CUR Ret | TAR 2 | BSB Ret | 4º | 120 |
| 2009 | RMC-Volkswagen | GUA 1 | FOR 4 | CAR 1 | GOI Ret | SAO Ret | LON 1 | ARG 1 | SCZ 4 | CUR Ret | BSB 4 | 1º | 169 |
| 2010 | RMC-Volkswagen | GUA 1 | RIO 5 | CAR 2 | CAM 3 | SAO 4 | LON 3 | ARG 2 | VEL Ret | CUR 2 | BSB 4 | 2º | 176 |
| 2011 | RMC-Volkswagen | SCZ 1 | RIO Ret | CAR 1 | GOI 19 | SAO 1 | LON 1 | ARG 10 | GUA 2 | CUR 11 | BSB 1 | 1º | 188 |
| 2012 | RMC-Volkswagen | VEL 2 | RIO 7 | CAR Ret | GOI Ret | SAO 8 | CAS 2 | ARG 1 | GUA 3 | CUR 3 | BSB 4 | 2º | 154 |
| 2013 | RMC-MAN SE | TAR Ret | LON 18 | CAR Ret | GOI Ret | SAO 13 | CAS 1 | ARG 2 | GUA 2 | CUR 1 | BSB Ret | 4º | 114 |
| 2014 | RMC-MAN SE | CAR 11 | CUR 3 | SAO 2 | BSB 2 | CAS 5 | SCZ 4 | ARG 2 | GUA 2 | LON 1 | GOI Ret | 2º | 184 |
Family
The Giaffone family has had great involvement in motorsport.
- José "Zeca" Giaffone - Felipe's father; 1987 Stock Car Brasil champion and five-time winner of Mil Milhas Brasil: 1981, 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1989. The founder of JL Racing, the biggest racing engine supplier in Brazil and Stock Car Brasil chassis supplier, and the owner of Granja Viana international kart circuit in Cotia, near São Paulo city.
- Nicolas Giaffone - son of Felipe, champion of 2023 USF Juniors.
- José "Zequinha" Giaffone - Felipe's brother; He competed in some races in the 1996 Indy Lights.
- Affonso Giaffone Júnior - Felipe's uncle, Zeca's elder brother; The winner of the first ever race of Stock Car Brasil in 1979, the champion of the 1981 season and two times winner of Mil Milhas Brasil: 1981 and 1986. His four sons all competed in the Brazilian national kart championships.
- Affonso Giaffone - Felipe's cousin, Affonso Junior's son; He competed in the 1996-1997 Indy Racing League season.
- Silvana Giaffone - Felipe's cousin and later Ex wife of Rubens Barrichello. This makes Barrichello a cousin-in-law of Felipe.
References
- ^ "Felipe Giaffone é tetracampeão da Copa Truck em Interlagos". Racing online. 7 December 2025.
- ^ Silva, Fernando (2021-03-02). "Band acerta retorno de Felipe Giaffone e completa equipe de transmissão da Fórmula 1 - Notícia de Fórmula 1" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Grande Prêmio. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
- ^ "Christian Fittipaldi e Felipe Giaffone reforçam transmissões do sportv na volta da Fórmula 1 à Globo" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 8 January 2026.
- ^ "Felipe Giaffone – 1996 Firestone / Dayton Indy Lights Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ^ "Felipe Giaffone – 1998 Firestone / Dayton Indy Lights Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ^ "Felipe Giaffone – 1999 Firestone / Dayton Indy Lights Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ^ "Felipe Giaffone – 2000 Firestone / Dayton Indy Lights Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ^ "Felipe Giaffone – 2001 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Felipe Giaffone – 2002 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Felipe Giaffone – 2003 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Felipe Giaffone – 2004 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Felipe Giaffone – 2005 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Felipe Giaffone – 2006 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2023.