Sean Gelael

Muhammad Sean Ricardo Gelael (born 1 November 1996) is an Indonesian racing driver who is currently competing with Team WRT in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He has scored two Le Mans class podiums as his respective teams' silver-ranked driver, finishing second with Jota in the LMP2 class in 2021 and second again with WRT in 2024's LMGT3 category.

Early career Gelael started racing in 2005, where he became the navigator of his father in Rally of Indonesia. In 2007, he set a record from MURI for being the youngest racing navigator at the age of ten.

Karting In 2011, Galael competed in the Asian Karting Open Championship – Formula 125 Senior Open 2011, finishing third in the overall standings.

Lower formulae Gelael began his car racing career in his native continent, competing in the Formula Pilota China in 2012. He finished his debut season fourth in the overall standings and second in the "Best Asian Trophy" standings. He raced for the BVM team in the last round of the 2012 Formula Abarth season at Monza.

FIA European Formula 3 Championship

2013 In 2013, Gelael participated in the 2013 FIA European Formula 3 Championship season, joining the Double R Racing team. During the same year, the Indonesian driver made an appearance in the Masters of Formula 3, although he was forced to retire from the race.

2014

In 2014, Gelael signed with Carlin for the 2014 season. On 10 May 2014, he scored his first ever point in the championship, finishing tenth and therefore scoring one point in the Pau Grand Prix. He finished the season in 18th position with 25 points.

British Formula 3 Championship Gelael competed in the 2013 British Formula 3 International Series alongside Antonio Giovinazzi, driving for Double R Racing. He claimed his first podium in at Silverstone by finishing third in the second race. He finished eight in the final overall standings.

Formula Renault 3.5 Series On 20 January 2015, it was announced that Gelael would compete in the 2015 Formula Renault 3.5 Series with Carlin partnering with Tom Dillmann. He finished 19th in the overall standings.

GP2 Series/FIA Formula 2 Championship

2015 Gelael made his GP2 Series debut with Carlin Motorsport in the Hungaroring in the 2015 season. He finished 18th in the feature race and 20th in the sprint race.

2016

In 2016, Gelael competed full-time in the GP2 Series with Campos Racing, partnering Mitch Evans. At Catalunya, he finished 19th in the feature race having started from 22nd on the grid. He scored his first podium at the Red Bull Ring, where he finished second behind his teammate Evans, who won the race.

2017

With the championship rebranded to the FIA Formula 2 Championship, Gelael moved to the Pertamina Arden team for the 2017 season, joining Norman Nato. Gelael lost the team battle, finishing in points-paying positions just in four races.

2018

Gelael raced for Prema Racing in the 2018 season, joining Dutch driver Nyck de Vries. In the Monaco, he scored his only podium for the season, finishing second in the feature race. He failed to score points for the rest of the season following his podium finish. He placed 15th with 29 points in the overall standings.

2019

For the 2019 season, Gelael remained with Prema, partnered by 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship winner Mick Schumacher. He lost the team battle, finishing in 17th position in the drivers' standings by scoring points in just five races.

2020 Gelael left Prema to join reigning FIA Formula 2 teams' champion DAMS for the 2020 season, replacing Sérgio Sette Câmara. He was joined by two-time Macau Grand Prix winner and Williams Driver Academy member Dan Ticktum. He scored points in both races of the second round at the Red Bull Ring, finishing tenth and seventh. He broke a vertebra from an impact with a kerb during the Barcelona feature race, and was unable to start the sprint race. He was replaced at DAMS by Red Bull Junior Team driver Jüri Vips for the next four rounds. At the time of his injury he had scored three points, compared to 61 points for teammate Ticktum.

FIA Formula 2 departure Due to a string of accidents and technical failures, followed by Gelael's seldom points-scoring performances in FIA Formula 2 Championship that contributed to poor seasons, Gelael's father Ricardo Gelael announced that his son will no longer continue racing in Formula 2 after the 2020 season.

Formula One

Gelael had his first experience of Formula One machinery, driving the Toro Rosso STR12 at the in-season test after the 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix, completing 78 laps. He continued to drive for Toro Rosso in a testing capacity throughout the season, including tests at the Hungaroring and Yas Marina Circuit as well as Friday practice appearances in Singapore, Malaysia, the United States and Mexico. He continued his association with Toro Rosso during the season, appearing at testing days in Spain, Hungary and Abu Dhabi, and at the Friday practice session of the . In 2019, Gelael again took part in the post-season tyre test for Toro Rosso in Abu Dhabi.

Sportscar career

2016: Debut success Gelael stepped into the Asian Le Mans Series during the second half of 2015–16 season to gather his first experience in endurance racing. Competing for Jagonya Ayam with Eurasia alongside Antonio Giovinazzi, the pair won both races they drove in and finished third in the standings.

During the same year, Galael would also make his FIA World Endurance Championship debut with Extreme Speed Motorsports, competing in the last three rounds of the season.

2021: Title assaults Following the conclusion to his time in Formula 2, Gelael returned to the ALMS for the entirety of the 2021 campaign, driving for Jota Sport alongside Formula E drivers Stoffel Vandoorne and Tom Blomqvist in the LMP2 category. He finished second and fifth in Dubai and won both races in Abu Dhabi, which placed him second in the standings.

Galael's main focus for 2021 would lie in the World Endurance Championship, where he once again partnered Vandoorne and Blomqvist at Jota Sport. Following a pair of podiums at the beginning of the season, a strong performance from the team would see the trio finish second in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Despite rounding off the season with two further appearances on the rostrum, Gelael and his teammates would miss out on the title to Team WRT, who had managed to win the final three races, which left Jota second in the LMP2 results.

Galael would make a guest appearance during the 4 Hours of Monza with Jota, finishing third alongside Malaysian driver Jazeman Jaafar. thumb

2022: Adding victories In 2022, Gelael continued to race in the World Endurance Championship, switching teams to previous year's champions WRT to drive alongside Robin Frijns and René Rast. After starting the season with a strong second place at a rain-shortened race in Sebring, the Indonesian took his maiden win in the category at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Dramatic scenes would occur at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as, having started from pole due to an impressive lap from Frijns, the team was forced to retire with hours to go after the Dutchman had made an error and collided with the barriers. The outfit was set back further in Monza, where a twelfth place following a radiator issue made them miss out on points for the second race in a row. At the penultimate race in Fuji, Gelael, Frijns and substitute teammate Dries Vanthoor managed to win the race, having held off advances from the No. 38 Jota car in the dying embers of the event. Another victory at the 8 Hours of Bahrain would not be enough to take the title, as the team lost out to Jota by 21 points.

2023: GT3 debut At the start of 2023, Gelael teamed up with Valentino Rossi and three other drivers to compete in the Dubai 24 Hour event, driving a BMW M4 GT3 for WRT. The lineup experienced a positive weekend, completing a double-podium for the team by finishing third.

For a third year running, the World Endurance Championship would be the main destination for the Indonesian, who, along with Robin Frijns, remained at Team WRT to be partnered by Ferdinand Habsburg. The season proved to be a disappointment, as the No. 31 crew finished fourth in the teams' standings with a suspension problem denying them from a Le Mans podium and an engine failure costing them victory at Monza.

2024: Full GT3 season The No. 31 M4 GT3 driven by Gelael, Augusto Farfus, and Darren Leung during the 2024 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps With the removal of LMP2 from the WEC, Gelael and WRT moved to the newly-formed LMGT3 class for the 2024 season. Alongside BMW factory driver Augusto Farfus and bronze-ranked Darren Leung, Gelael was able to take his first win in the category at Imola, before experiencing a hefty shunt caused by Earl Bamber on the Kemmel straight at Spa-Francorchamps from which the Indonesian escaped unharmed. Redemption came at the Le Mans 24 Hours, where the No. 31 turned out to be the only BMW entry to escape troubles, finishing second in class.

2025: Move to United Autosports

On 3 January 2025, United Autosports confirmed that Gelael and his former WRT teammate Darren Leung would join the team for the 2025 season, partnering with Marino Sato in the No. 95 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.

Personal life Gelael is the only son of the owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken's Indonesian franchise and former rally driver and the youngest child of actress . He is the cousin of Indonesian tennis player Justin Barki. His late grandfather Dick Gelael is the founder of and Multi Food Indonesia.

In October 2025, Gelael and actress Hana Malasan announced their engagement.

Karting record

Karting career summary

Racing record

Racing career summary † As Gelael was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points. Season still in progress.

Complete Formula Pilota China results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 DC Points 2012 Eurasia Motorsport SHI1 SHI2 SHI3 ORD11 ORD12 ORD13 ORD21 ORD22 ORD23 GUA1 GUA2 GUA3 SEP11 SEP12 SEP13 SEP21 SEP22 SEP23 4th 132

Complete British Formula Three Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12131415161718192021 DC Points 2013 Double R Racing SIL1 SIL2 SIL3 SPA1 SPA2 SPA3 BRH1 BRH2 BRH3 NÜR1 NÜR2 NÜR3 8th 78 2014 Carlin ROC1 ROC2 ROC3 SIL1 SIL2 SIL3 SNE1 SNE2 SNE3 SPA1 SPA2 SPA3 THR1 THR2 THR3 BRH1 BRH2 BRH3 DON1 DON2 DON3 NC† 0 † As Gelael was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 DC Points 2013 Double R Racing MNZ1 MNZ2 MNZ3 SIL1 SIL2 SIL3 HOC1 HOC2 HOC3 BRH1 BRH2 BRH3 RBR1 RBR2 RBR3 NOR1 NOR2 NOR3 NÜR1 NÜR2 NÜR3 ZAN1 ZAN2 ZAN3 VAL1 VAL2 VAL3 HOC1 HOC2 HOC3 28th 0 2014 Jagonya Ayam with Carlin SIL1 SIL2 SIL3 HOC1 HOC2 HOC3 PAU1 PAU2 PAU3 HUN1 HUN2 HUN3 SPA1 SPA2 SPA3 NOR1 NOR2 NOR3 MSC1 MSC2 MSC3 RBR1 RBR2 RBR3 NÜR1 NÜR2 NÜR3 IMO1 IMO2 IMO3 HOC1 HOC2 HOC3 18th 25 † Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Pos Points 2015 Jagonya Ayam with Carlin ALC1 ALC2 MON1 SPA1 SPA2 HUN1 HUN2 RBR1 RBR2 SIL1 SIL2 NÜR1 NÜR2 BUG1 BUG2 JER1 JER2 19th 7

Complete GP2 Series/FIA Formula 2 Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 DC Points 2015 Carlin BHRFEA BHRSPR CATFEA CATSPR MONFEA MONSPR RBRFEA RBRSPR SILFEA SILSPR HUNFEA HUNSPR SPAFEA SPASPR MNZFEA MNZSPR SOCFEA SOCSPR BHRFEA BHRSPR YMCFEA YMCSPR 30th 0 2016 Pertamina Campos Racing CATFEA CATSPR MONFEA MONSPR BAKFEA BAKSPR RBRFEA RBRSPR SILFEA SILSPR HUNFEA HUNSPR HOCFEA HOCSPR SPAFEA SPASPR MNZFEA MNZSPR SEPFEA SEPSPR YMCFEA YMCSPR 15th 24 Pertamina Arden BHRFEA BHRSPR CATFEA CATSPR MONFEA MONSPR BAKFEA BAKSPR RBRFEA RBRSPR SILFEA SILSPR HUNFEA HUNSPR SPAFEA SPAFEA MNZFEA MNZSPR JERFEA JERSPR YMCFEA YMCSPR 15th 17 Pertamina Prema Theodore Racing BHRFEA BHRSPR BAKFEA BAKSPR CATFEA CATSPR MONFEA MONSPR LECFEA LECSPR RBRFEA RBRSPR SILFEA SILSPR HUNFEA HUNSPR SPAFEA SPASPR MNZFEA MNZSPR SOCFEA SOCSPR YMCFEA YMCSPR 15th 29 Prema Racing BHRFEA BHRSPR BAKFEA BAKSPR CATFEA CATSPR MONFEA MONSPR LECFEA LECSPR RBRFEA RBRSPR SILFEA SILSPR HUNFEA HUNSPR SPAFEA SPASPR MNZFEA MNZSPR SOCFEA SOCSPR YMCFEA YMCSPR 17th 15 DAMS RBRFEA RBRSPR RBRFEA RBRSPR HUNFEA HUNSPR SILFEA SILSPR SILFEA SILSPR CATFEA CATSPR SPAFEA SPASPR MNZFEA MNZSPR MUGFEA MUGSPR SOCFEA SOCSPR BHRFEA BHRSPR BHRFEA BHRSPR 21st 3

Complete Asian Le Mans Series results

Complete European Le Mans Series results Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points 2016 SMP Racing LMP2 BR Engineering BR01 Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 SIL IMO RBR LEC SPA EST 24th 10 2021 Jota Sport LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT RBR LEC MNZ SPA ALG NC† 0† † As Gelael was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results Season still in progress.

Complete Formula One participations (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicates fastest lap)

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLaps 2021 Jota Tom Blomqvist Stoffel Vandoorne Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 363 7th 2nd 2022 Team WRT Robin Frijns René Rast Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 285 DNF DNF 2023 Team WRT Robin Frijns Ferdinand Habsburg Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 327 13th 5th 2024 Team WRT Augusto Farfus Darren Leung BMW M4 GT3 LMGT3 280 28th 2nd 2025 United Autosports Darren Leung Marino Sato McLaren 720S GT3 Evo LMGT3 80 DNF DNF 2026 Team WRT Augusto Farfus Darren Leung BMW M4 GT3 Evo LMGT3 334 39th 7th

Complete GT World Challenge Europe results GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points 2024 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Silver BRH1 BRH2 MIS1 MIS2 HOC1 HOC2 MAG1 MAG2 CAT1 CAT2 14th 18

GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup

Complete GT World Challenge Asia results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)