Dario Franchitti

Four-time IndyCar Series champion appointed as Gordon Murray Automotive development driver for the T.50 and planned T.50s in 2020.

Born in Scotland on 19 May 1973, Franchitti began karting at nine. He won the Formula Vauxhall Junior title in 1991 and the Formula Vauxhall championship in 1993. In 1994 he finished fourth in British Formula 3 for Paul Stewart Racing. AMG-Mercedes put him in a C-Class for the combined 1995 DTM/ITC season: fifth in DTM and third in ITC. He was fourth in the 1996 ITC after winning at Suzuka.

In 1997 Mercedes moved him to CART with Hogan Racing in a Mercedes-powered Reynard. He joined Barry Green's Honda-powered team the following year, then tied Juan Pablo Montoya on points for the 1999 CART title and lost the tie-break on wins. After six CART seasons, he moved with the team, then Andretti Green Racing, to IndyCar in 2003. In 2007 he won the Indianapolis 500 and his first IndyCar title.

Franchitti raced for Chip Ganassi Racing in NASCAR in 2008 and won the Rolex 24 at Daytona, before returning to IndyCar with Ganassi in 2009. He won further IndyCar titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011, plus Indianapolis 500s in 2010 and 2012. Contact with Takuma Sato sent him into the catchfencing at Houston in 2013. He announced his retirement on medical advice on 14 November 2013 and later continued at Ganassi as a driver adviser.

Gordon Murray Automotive named Franchitti development driver for the T.50 and planned T.50s in October 2020. GMA says he played a key role in shaping the T.50 through testing and real-world evaluation. In March 2023 he brought the final T.50 prototype from the factory to Gordon Murray's house for Murray's final approval for certification. In March 2026, GMA said Franchitti approved the T.50s Niki Lauda for production after its final Bahrain test.