Tio Ellinas


Eftihios “Tio” Ellinas is a Cypriot race car driver. Ellinas began racing go-karts at the age of seven, and from 2003 - 2009 won 10 kart racing championships in Cyprus, in 2005 winning the ROK Cup International Final. He was the winner of Grand Prix Shootout in the UK in 2009 competing against 50 other top young drivers from all over the world.
In 2010, he competed in the MSA Dunlop Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain racing with the JTR Team. He won three races and finished fourth in the championship, the highest placing for a novice driver since Jenson Button in 1998, earning him "Rookie Of The Year" honors.
In 2011, Ellinas raced in the UK Formula Renault 2.0 championship for the Atech Reid GP Team, finishing third overall. He joined Marussia Manor Racing for the 2012 GP3 Series season.
In the 2013, he tested for the Marussia F1 Team.

Career

Karting

Ellinas' first taste of motorsport came when he was seven years old racing in karts. He competed in 131 races, winning 101 of them with 20 further podium finishes. His championship positions are as follows:
Ellinas took part in the inaugural Grand Prix Shootout competition in the United Kingdom in 2009. He was assessed by the world-famous driving coach Rob Wilson in September 2009 as part of the competition. He then completed a number of sessions in a Double R Racing Formula BMW car at the Pembrey Circuit in Wales. In January 2010, Ellinas was announced as the first Grand Prix Shootout winner at the Autosport International exhibition. He had taken on fifty other karters and drivers with over 100 major racing titles between them, and in the end was the runaway winner.

Formula Ford

Ellinas competed in the MSA Dunlop Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain with the JTR team. He was only the second driver since the legendary Ayrton Senna to start on the front row of a British Formula Ford race in his car racing debut, and was also the fastest driver at every wet test during that first year. Ellinas's fourth position overall in the 2010 MSA British Formula Ford championship earned him Rookie Of The Year honors, and is the best result for a rookie driver since the current McLaren Formula One driver and 2009 World Drivers' Champion, Jenson Button, in 1998.

Formula Renault

Ellinas competed in the Formula Renault UK championship with the Atech Reid GP team and finished third overall.

GP3 Series

Ellinas contested the 2012 GP3 Series season debut with Marussia Manor Racing. He finished the season eighth overall, recording one win and one podium finish in the season finale at Monza.

Formula One

On 17 June 2013, it was announced that Ellinas would carry out a scheduled straightline aerodynamic evaluation test session with the Marussia Formula One team at Kemble airfield in Gloucestershire, England. In doing so, he became the first Cypriot to drive a Formula One car. As a reward for being the highest-placed Marussia Manor driver at the end of the 2012 GP3 Series season, Ellinas took part in the 2013 Young Driver Tests with Marussia F1.

Racing record

Career summary

As Ellinas was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

Complete GP3 Series results

YearEntrant12345678910111213141516DCPoints
2012Marussia Manor RacingCAT
FEA
7
CAT
SPR
15
MON
FEA
9
MON
SPR
8
VAL
FEA
4
VAL
SPR
5
SIL
FEA
6
SIL
SPR

4
HOC
FEA

10
HOC
SPR
7
HUN
FEA
13
HUN
SPR
4
SPA
FEA
4
SPA
SPR
Ret
MNZ
FEA

2
MNZ
SPR
1
8th97
2013Marussia Manor RacingCAT
FEA

1
CAT
SPR
4
VAL
FEA
6
VAL
SPR
4
SIL
FEA
5
SIL
SPR
6
NÜR
FEA
2
NÜR
SPR
5
HUN
FEA
11
HUN
SPR
10
SPA
FEA
8
SPA
SPR
Ret
MNZ
FEA
Ret
MNZ
SPR
11
YMC
FEA
7
YMC
SPR
1
4th116

Complete GP2 Series results

YearEntrant12345678910111213141516171819202122DCPoints
2014MP MotorsportBHR
FEA
BHR
SPR
CAT
FEA
7
CAT
SPR
11
MON
FEA
10
MON
SPR
22
RBR
FEA
23
RBR
SPR
22
SIL
FEA
SIL
SPR
HOC
FEA
HOC
SPR
HUN
FEA
HUN
SPR
SPA
FEA
SPA
SPR
MNZ
FEA
MNZ
SPR
22nd7
2014RapaxSOC
FEA
21
SOC
SPR
14
YMC
FEA
YMC
SPR
22nd7

Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results

YearTeam1234567891011121314151617Points
2015Strakka RacingALC
1
Ret
ALC
2
4
MON
1
Ret
SPA
1
7
SPA
2
5
HUN
1
17
HUN
2
6
RBR
1
9
RBR
2
13
SIL
1

1
SIL
2
11
NÜR
1
6
NÜR
2
1
BUG
1
9
BUG
2

3
JER
1
5
JER
2
4
4th135

Complete Porsche Supercup results

YearTeam12345678910Points
2019Momo Megatron Lechner Racing TeamCAT
4
MON
8
RBR
10
SIL
16
HOC
3
HUN
4
SPA
6
MNZ
11
MEX
3
MEX
11
7th81

No points awarded as less than 50% of race distance was completed.

Personal life

Ellinas continues to live in Larnaca, Cyprus.