Giedo van der Garde names the F1 driver he spotted ‘shaking’ before each race

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Giedo van der Garde may only have spent a single season on the Formula 1 grid in 2013, but he’d been involved in the sport years earlier. As far back as 2007, he was on Spyker’s books as a test driver.

They would become Force India the following year after a takeover from Vijay Mallya, with Van der Garde staying on. A high-flyer in GP2, he then joined the Caterham family in 2012.

Tony Fernandes handed him a seat, but he wasn’t able to score a point in a backmarking car. Caterham would finish bottom of the constructors’ championship, with rivals Marussia also scoreless but profiting from a 13th-place finish earlier in the season.

Van der Garde raced alongside Frenchman Charles Pic, but both drivers were replaced at the end of the season. Marcus Ericsson and Kamui Kobayashi took over, with Van der Garde moving into a reserve role at Sauber.

But 2014 proved to be the final year of Caterham’s existence, while Marussia lasted until the end of 2016 under the guise of Manor. Both teams had been battling financial issues for years, and they eventually ran out of funds.

Giedo van der Garde recalls pre-race nerves for F1 teammate Charles Pic

After his stint with Sauber, Van der Garde pivoted towards sportscars before retiring at the end of 2023. He continues to cover F1 as an analyst.

Speaking on De Race Show, he recalled that Pic used to be visibly anxiety-ridden before races. That was in stark contrast to his enthusiastic demeanour.

Pic had debuted with Marussia in 2012 before switching to Caterham in 2013. He competed in 39 races overall, with a best finish of 12th in Sao Paulo in his rookie year.

The Frenchman is now mentoring the next generation after taking over the DAMS Formula 2 team. His drivers this year are Jak Crawford, who’s on the books of Aston Martin, and Juan Manuel Correa.

Van der Garde said: “Charles Pic – he was standing there, he was shaking all the way on the grid. You had me next to him [saying] ‘guys, have fun racing!’”

Lando Norris shares what makes him ‘so nervous’ during an F1 weekend

Pic knew he needed a sporting miracle to even score points, but it seems he felt the same level of pressure as a driver at the front of the grid. Indeed, McLaren driver Lando Norris recently revealed (via F1) that he ‘barely eats’ or drinks before races.

Norris admits he gets ‘so nervous’ before qualifying sessions, even though he’s now completed well over 100. And while there’s an element of ‘excitement’ pre-race, the anxiety remains.

This may surprise some given his calm demeanour on the team radio. Guenther Steiner told Norris to show more emotion as he competes for a championship.

The two-time Grand Prix winner has struggled with race starts this year, but it’s unclear whether nerves have played a part. While Oscar Piastri aggressively passed him for the lead on the first lap at Monza, McLaren hadn’t prepared Norris for this eventuality.