Not many people are lucky enough to combine career and passion but ex F1 racing driver Jaime Alguersuari has managed to do just that time and time again. Though he is most well-known for his breakthrough as an F1 driver, his talents have taken him on to become a radio presenter, a DJ and even a poker star.
The Formation Lap
Jaime Alguersuari was born in Barcelona in 1990 and rapidly displayed his talent for racing. Winning the Italian Formula 1600 Junior Series in 2005 he went on to British Formula Three in 2008. Alongside current Toro Rosso star Brendon Hartley he raced for Carlin Motorsport and became the youngest driver to win the championship. In 2009 he joined the Renault Formula 3.5 Series and was promoted to Formula 1 to race for Toro Rosso, at the time being the youngest driver ever to do so. After racing with Toro Rosso for two and a half seasons, Alguersuari acted as an expert advisor for BBC Radio 5 Live’s commentary of the 2012 F1 season. Following this, he made his debut in Formula E, racing for Virgin Racing in the 2014/15 season after which he retired to follow his other passions.
New Beginnings
While for some Alguersuari had made headlines through motorsport, for others he was most famous as a DJ performing under the name Squire. Well-known in clubs around Ibiza, he also headlined the Barcelona Music Conference in 2010 and released his chart-topping debut album in 2011.
Poker
While still driving for Toro Rosso in 2010, Alguersuari became an ambassador for Party Poker. Initially playing with fellow F1 drivers after testing, he has since taken part in numerous online and physical tournaments. Comparing the process of learning to play poker as a rookie to that of learning to drive in F1, he has since been working on improving his game to move up in tournaments.