Pierre-Henri Raphane is a French former racing driver whose career has stretched from Formula One to touring cars, GT racing, and high-performance automotive development. Though his Formula One stint was brief, Raphanel later became closely associated with Bugatti, playing a key role in demonstrating and developing some of the fastest road cars ever built.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | French |
| Birthplace | Algiers, Algeria |
| Born | 27 May 1961 |
| First Grand Prix | 1988 Australian Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1989 Australian Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1988–1989 |
| Current/Last Team | Rial |
Formula One career
Raphanel competed in 17 Formula One Grands Prix between 1988 and 1989, driving for Larrousse, Coloni, and Rial Racing.
His Formula One debut came on 13 November 1988, but qualifying proved a constant challenge in an era crowded with underfunded teams and highly competitive pre-qualifying sessions.
Remarkably, Raphanel qualified for only one World Championship race—the 1989 Monaco Grand Prix. That unique statistic makes him the only driver in Formula One history whose sole Grand Prix start came in Monaco, one of the sport’s most prestigious and demanding venues.
Racing in Japan
After leaving Formula One, Raphanel reinvented himself in Japan, becoming a factory driver for Toyota.
He competed extensively in Japanese touring car and GT racing, including:
- Japanese Touring Car Championship (JTCC)
- Japanese Grand Touring Championship (JGTC)
He remained active in Japanese GT competition through to 2000, earning a reputation as a reliable and technically skilled driver.
Bugatti and the Veyron era
Raphanel’s post-racing career brought him into one of the automotive world’s most exclusive projects. After 2006, he became lead test driver and product specialist for Bugatti, heavily involved in showcasing the extraordinary capabilities of the Bugatti Veyron.
He became widely recognised as the man often seen demonstrating the Veyron’s performance to media and customers around the world.
In July 2010, Raphanel drove the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport to a top speed of 431.072 km/h at Ehra-Lessien in Germany—setting a production car speed record and cementing the Veyron’s place in automotive history.
Family and legacy
Motorsport has remained a family affair. Raphanel is the uncle of French-Algerian racing driver Julien Gerbi as well as young karting competitor Arthur Raphanel.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 17 |
| Race Starts | 1 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 18th |
| Best Race Finish | – |
| Retirements | 1 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 7 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 17 |
| Reached Q3 | – |
| Q2 Eliminations | – |
| Q1 Eliminations | – |
| Did Not Qualify | 7 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Lola | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1989 | Coloni / Rial | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
Stats by Constructor
| Constructor | Years | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lola | 1988 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coloni | 1989 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rial | 1989 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippe Alliot | 1988 | 1 | 0-1 |
| Roberto Moreno | 1989 | 10 | 1-9 |
| Christian Danner | 1989 | 3 | 1-2 |
| Gregor Foitek | 1989 | 1 | 1-0 |
| Bertrand Gachot | 1989 | 2 | 1-1 |
