Part of the new generation of Brazilian drivers trying to make their way to Formula One, Luiz Razia made the progression from South American Formula 3 to F1 test driver in just two years.

He started his single seater career in 2005 and in his second year he had taken the South American F3 title with seven wins from 16 races. In the same year he took part in four rounds of the F3000 Masters at Estoril and won three. He took on a full season of racing in Europe in 2007 in F3000 Euroseries and came third, splitting his time between that championship and Word Series by Renault.

Another year in the F3000 Euroseries followed in 2008 before he moved to the GP2 Asia Series over the winter. He scored a win in the final race of the series in Bahrain, and moved to the European GP2 championship supporting F1. Again a single win was his best result, this time in the sprint race at Monza, and he finished the year 19th overall.

He was presented as a test driver for Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Racing team in December 2009 but received very limited testing mileage under the sport's current regulations. He raced in both GP2 Series in 2010, before moving to Team Caterham AirAsia for the 2011 season and switching test roles to another of the new F1 teams; Team Lotus. Free practice appearances in China and Brazil raised his profile somewhat, but he appears destined to remain in GP2 for 2012.

Strengths and weaknesses
He hasn't driven for the best teams since moving to Europe, making it hard to judge his talent against the competition. However, his win at Monza in GP2 proved, that when the opportunity arises, he doesn't buckle under pressure.

Career High
The 2006 South American F3 title - his only championship win to date.

Career Low
Being involved in six accidents in seven races midway through his debut season in GP2.

Quotes
On getting a test drive with Virgin: "It's so exciting, it's a dream to be a part of a new team."

Trivia
He has his own Facebook fan site called 'Team Luiz Razia' where he gives away prizes for members that guess the correct podium result at F1 and GP2 races. The group has over 1,000 members.