Puccio Giodano

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Puccio Giodano
Puccio Giodano
Born (1993-05-07) 7 May 1993 (age 31)
Napoli, Campania, Italy
Formula Virtual World Championship career
Nationality 23px-Flag of Italy.svg-1-.png Italian
2024 team Ocelot-Peugeot
2024 car number 81
Entries 183 (180 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 4
Podiums 22
Career points 819
Pole positions 13
Fastest laps 2
First entry 2013 Australian V-Prix
First win 2015 French V-Prix
Latest win 2023 Canadian V-Prix
Latest entry 2024 Malaysian V-Prix
2023 position 3rd (135 pts)
IndyVirtual Triple Crown career
Participating
year(s)
2017
Team(s) Cerberus Motorsport
Best finish Japan 500: 9th (2017)
Monaco 250: DNF (2017)
Laguna Seca: DNF (2017)

Puccio Giodano is an Italian virtual racing driver who currently drives for Ocelot in Formula Virtual. Giodano has competed in every season of Formula Virtual so far, missing only 3 races in 2016 following a heavy crash. Initially starting for Scuderia Rossi, Giodano excelled in his first year and was marked as a future star due to his young age, but struggled in 2015 while his teammate Enzo Domenicalli fought for the title. Giodano did pick up his first win that year in the 2015 French V-Prix but moved to Ocelot when Antonio Rossi suddenly disappeared at the end of 2015.

Giodano achieved little in the struggling Ocelot until a shock mid-season move to former champions Franklin three races into the 2017. However, despite high expectations, he floundered against teammate Enrique Ruiz and while he took 3 pole positions, there were no podiums. A return back to Ocelot did wonders for him however, as the team were competitive and Giodano won in France and Bahrain, though a late title push ultimately fizzled out. He would race for the returning Westwood team in 2020 but returned to Ocelot the following year. Despite a poor 2021 where he was outperformed by Hunter Ryan, he bounced back with a strong 2022 before fighting at the front once again a year later, taking multiple podiums and winning his fourth race in the 2023 Canadian V-Prix.

Personal life

Early career

Formula Virtual career (2013-)

Rossi (2013-2015)

Giodano was only 20 when the first Formula Virtual season began in 2013, but was still signed by Antonio Rossi to take part in the all-Italian Scuderia Rossi alongside Enzo Domenicalli.

2013

Despite a poor pre-season testing, Rossi and Giodano were competitive in the opening race of the season, qualifying 5th and finishing 4th. Despite not initially showing title contending pace, Rossi appeared to be in the best of the rest pack behind and Giodano backed this up with a maiden podium in the 2013 Bahrain V-Prix, in part due to a good strategy call. This was followed up two races later with a shock pole position by the young Italian in Spain which led to Rossi heralding him as "the best driver on the grid" - he would lose the lead to Lewis Ellington at the start but finished 2nd.

However, Rossi's pace would drop off as the season went, with other teams showing better pace and Lucas Wilson Grand Prix ultimately beating them for 4th in the standings. Despite this, Giodano continued to impress with top 6 results in Austria and Brazil. He also vastly outperformed teammate Domenicalli, who was benched after he crashed into Giodano in China.

Giodano would eventually finish 6th in the standings, with his two podiums and a single pole position.

2014

After dropping off at the end of the previous season, Rossi performed well in pre season testing for 2014 and Giodano was marked as one to watch. 4th on the grid in the opening race was promising but a collision with Adrien Simon (who had just collided with a backmarker while leading) put him out of the points. Consistent points finishes followed but the team were unable to build on their early promise. Giodano did qualify 3rd for the United States V-Prix and fought past both Franklin cars to take the lead early on. However, he would drop behind the one-stopping cars including Diego Campos which compromised his race, before he drove into the stationary Jarod Lindsey in a heavy crash that put him out of the race.

That would be the closest Giodano came to winning a race all season - he performed strongly in Germany with his only podium of the season, though the result was soured by a penalty for the following race as Giodano rolled Karl Beckenbauer out of the race on the opening lap. Further points finishes, including 4th at his home race, put Rossi in contention for 3rd in the standings in a fight against Downton. However, a suspension failure for Giodano in Japan and an early incident in Brazil, along with two retirements for Domenicalli, meant Rossi would ultimately settle for 4th.

Giodano finished 8th in the standings at the end of the year, down on his 2013 result. Despite continuing to outperform Domenicalli, the gap was much closer compared to 2014.

2015

Rossi continued with their two drivers once again and this time made good on early promise at the first race of the season, with Domenicalli stepping onto the podium. However, a poor qualifying for Giodano saw him get caught up in the midfield madness in the race, finishing 15th after an incident. He followed this up with back to back podiums along with 4th in South Africa (he had been running 4th in Brazil before Beckenbauer's last lap pit stop from 1st promoted him to 3rd). However, a suspension failure in Spain when his teammate won and an incident in Portugal after qualifying 3rd meant Giodano was already lagging well behind the title fight, while Domenicalli's ultra consistent results were putting him in title contention.

Giodano would however pick up his maiden win at the 2015 French V-Prix, in a race where he fought a close battle with Simon and Elroy Wagner - ultimately jumping Wagner in the pit stops was crucial to the Italian winning. He'd pick up two podiums in the North American flyaway leg but retirements in Britain, Belgium and Italy meant Giodano faded into the background as focus gathered around his teammate's title push against Wagner. However, both drivers' results would drop off towards the end of the season when rumours of Antontio Rossi's sudden disappearance started, even as the team secured 2nd in the standings.

Giodano would end up 5th in the championship with his one win and five podiums, a personal best but behind both Domenicalli and Simon. Initially, he had been resigned to Rossi for a fourth straight season, but when the team owner was confirmed missing, the team died out, leaving Giodano without a seat.

Ocelot (2016-2019)

However, before the following FV season began, Giodano entered into discussions with Ocelot, who were entering their second season. With no other prospects given the late nature of Rossi's withdrawal, Giodano headed to the Japanese team, where he'd go on to become the team's staple driver.

2016

Partnered up with Beckenbauer, Ocelot started the season with an improved car compared to their debut season and Giodano put that to good use - he picked up 9th in Australia and followed it up with 10th in 2016 Malaysian V-Prix, albeit behind Beckenbauer. However, those would end up being the team's only points of the season. Despite showing further midfield pace initially, they slipped back severely as the European season started and Giodano's worse result in the first four races (14th) wouldn't be bettered for the rest of the season.

The Italian did manage some impressive qualifying efforts when rain hit - 4th in the Netherlands and 3rd in Mexico being the highlights - but couldn't live with other drivers in the race. He suffered a frightening crash at Eau Rouge in Belgium when he was sent airborne over the kerb while fighting Nathaniel Powers. This caused him to miss the next three races, the first time Giodano missed a V-Prix in FV history. He did ultimately have the edge over Beckenbauer, matching the German in the race head-to-heads while outqualifying him 9-6. 2016 would nevertheless be Giodano's worst season, ending 18th with just 3 points.

2017

Hope that 2017 would be better fizzled out quickly when Ocelot found themselves amongst the slowest teams when they showed up for the first race. Giodano would almost last in each of the first three races, even struggling in comparison to Beckenbauer, and looked set for another poor season.

Loan to Franklin

However, with Jochem van Snelheid struggling at Franklin, Giodano was drafted into the former champions to drive alongside Enrique Ruiz in a shock switch. The switch came with plenty of hype and expectations, and Giodano initially faired well. He ran competitively in China before a late collision with Simon put him out of the race. However, a clear trend began to emerge as the season continued - Giodano showed impressive qualifying pace, taking 3 poles in Germany, Britain and Canada (where his first lap at the start of the session was good enough for pole), but his race pace for sorely lacking, repeatedly struggling and holding up large queues of cars. Additionally, with a world champion as teammate for the first time, Giodano floundered, losing the qualifying battle despite more poles and getting beaten in the race head-to-head 2-9. While his 3 poles added onto his maiden pole from 2013, he failed to step onto the podium throughout the season, with two 4th places being his best result.

Giodano would end the season 11th in the standings, with 61 points - behind former teammate Beckenbauer, who completed the second half of the season with North Star. As a result, Franklin chose not to continue with him despite initial talks with Ocelot over a permanent move. Giodano instead returned to Ocelot for 2018.

2018

2019

With a new teammate for the 5th time in 4 years in the form of Hunter Ryan, Giodano continued on with Ocelot, but pre-season testing showed a severe downturn in performance compared to 2018. Despite that translating to a poor qualifying in Australia, a chaotic race along with a good strategy call saw Giodano finish 10th and secure a point for the team. However, good results for other teams would see Ocelot drop in Q1 from France onwards. Giodano would fail to qualify for the race on three occasions, part of a six race streak without a finish in the middle of the season.

Ocelot would drop down as low as 12th in the standings before the end of the season, but in a wet qualifying in Brazil, Giodano would shock by qualifying in the top 10. He followed it up with, once again, a strong drive in a chaotic race to finish 7th despite varying weather conditions. Although Carson Davenport finishing 6th for Lucas saw them jump Ocelot, Giodano's 6 points were enough to lift Ocelot ahead of Cheema and Andromeda, which ensured the team would not take part in Q1 in 2020.

Westwood (2020)

Mid 2019, it emerged that the returning Westwood were in talks with Giodano over joining the team for 2020. After a series of negotiations between Westwood and Ocelot, Giodano would ultimately move over to the British team.

2020

United once again with Beckenbauer, Giodano would struggle initially compared to his teammate, as Westwood started the season in the lower midfield. However, the British race weekend would transform Giodano's season - he stared in qualifying, taking 8th. He continued his strong pace in the race, fighting in the points throughout the race before finishing 7th - Westwood's first points since returning which ensured they'd be out of Q1 for the rest of the season.

Giodano would go on to be one of the stars of the season as he dominated Beckenbauer in the teammate comparisons. Highlights included an overtaking spree during two laps in Spain when Gabriele García had an engine failure, which ultimately saw Giodano finish 6th. He matched that in Italy as well, continuing his great form at home. A brake failure on the opening lap in Belgium saw him unable to prevent a multi-car crash, but his best results, along with a run of 4 consecutive points finishes between America and Turkey, were crucial for Westwood to finish 7th in the standings, pipping Ocelot and Phoenix.

Giodano would almost single handedly achieve this with his tally of 38 points good enough for 11th, compared to Beckenbauer with 5.

Ocelot (2021-)

Although Giodano excelled with Westwood, with the return of Kinnumen and the promotion of Jules Barclay to the FV team, Westwood looked to loan Giodano out to another team and the Italian would ultimately reunite with Ocelot for 2021, before becoming a fully contracted driver to Ocelot from 2022.

2021

2022

2023

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Team Name Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2013 Formula Virtual Scuderia Rossi 16 0 1 0 2 91 6th
2014 Formula Virtual Scuderia Rossi 17 0 0 0 1 71 8th
2015 Formula Virtual Scuderia Rossi 16 1 0 0 5 140 5th
2016 Formula Virtual Ocelot Japan Racing 15 0 0 0 0 3 18th
2017 Formula Virtual Ocelot Japan Racing 3 0 0 0 0 0 11th
Franklin Honda 15 0 3 0 0 61
IndyVirtual Cerberus Motorsport 3 0 0 0 0 49 35th
IndyVirtual Triple Crown 3 0 0 0 0 49 24th
2018 Formula Virtual Ocelot Japan Racing 18 2 5 1 7 209 5th
2019 Formula Virtual Ocelot Japan Racing 17 0 0 0 0 7 22nd
2020 Formula Virtual Westwood Racing Technology 16 0 0 0 0 38 11th
2021 Formula Virtual Ocelot Japan Racing 16 0 0 0 0 14 16th
2022 Formula Virtual Ocelot Japan Racing 16 0 0 0 0 50 10th
2023 Formula Virtual Ocelot Japan Racing 16 1 4 1 7 135 3rd
2024 Formula Virtual Ocelot Japan Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0* 24th*

* Season in progress.

Complete Formula Virtual results

(results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 WDC Points
2013 Scuderia Rossi Rossi SR-01 Ferrari 056 AUS
4
MAL
Ret
BHR
3
GBR
13
ESP
2
CAN
5
USA
Ret
FRA
7
GER
19
AUT
5
BEL
7
ITA
11
CHN
Ret
JPN
8
BRA
6
MEX
9
6th 91
2014 Scuderia Rossi Rossi SR-02 Ferrari 057 AUS
14
MAL
5
BHR
9
GBR
9
CAN
6
USA
Ret
ESP
18
POR
5
FRA
7
GER
3
AUT
20
BEL
9
ITA
4
CHN
8
JPN
Ret
BRA
13
MEX
23
8th 71
2015 Scuderia Rossi Rossi SR-03 Ferrari 058 AUS
15
MAL
3
BRA
3
RSA
4
ESP
Ret
POR
11
FRA
1
GBR
Ret
CAN
3
USA
2
GER
6
BEL
Ret
ITA
Ret
MEX
4
CHN
5
JPN
5
5th 140
2016 Ocelot Japan Racing Ocelot WANDA Downton DS-2016 AUS
9
MAL
10
CHN
14
JPN
12
FRA
21
ESP
Ret
GBR
14
GER
16
NED
20
BEL
Ret
ITA
TUR
BHR
CAN
16
USA
15
MEX
19
POR
18
BRA
17
18th 3
2017 Ocelot Japan Racing Ocelot Tempest Honda VA1217E AUS
20
MAL
18
JPN
20
11th 61
Franklin Honda Franklin JF-05 CHN
Ret
FRA
7
ESP
Ret
GER
6
AUT
Ret
GBR
5
BEL
12
ITA
4
POR
10
TUR
Ret
BHR
9
CAN
4
USA
6
MEX
15
BRA
9
2018 Ocelot Japan Racing Ocelot Prophecy Alfa Romeo NS-18 AUS
2
JPN
8
CHN
7
MAL
4
GBR
9
FRA
1
ESP
4
AUT
6
GER
8
SVK
4
CAN
3
USA
3
BHR
1
TUR
2
BEL
6
ITA
5
MEX
Ret
BRA
3
5th 209
2019 Ocelot Japan Racing Ocelot Exodus Alfa Romeo NS-19 AUS
10
JPN
19
CHN
13
MAL
13
GBR
20
FRA
DNQ
ESP
19
CAN
Ret
USA
Ret
AUT
DNQ
GER
DNQ
BHR
22
TUR
20
ITA
12
BEL
12
MEX
19
BRA
7
22nd 7
2020 Westwood Racing Technology Westwood WRT-01 Porsche MRV-20 JPN
16
MAL
22
AUS
18
RSA
Ret
GBR
7
FRA
Ret
ESP
6
GER
18
USA
8
CAN
8
BHR
9
TUR
7
BEL
Ret
ITA
6
MEX
11
BRA
14
11th 38
2021 Ocelot Japan Racing Ocelot Apostle Alfa Romeo NS-21 JPN
15
MAL
6
AUS
14
RSA
17
GBR
13
FRA
12
ESP
9
GER
Ret
UAE
Ret
TUR
20
BEL
13
ITA
8
CAN
13
USA
25
MEX
12
BRA
12
16th 14
2022 Ocelot Japan Racing Ocelot Disciple Alfa Romeo NS-22 JPN
10
AUS
8
MAL
5
RSA
8
FRA
13
GBR
10
GER
11
CZE
18
TUR
7
UAE
13
BEL
8
ITA
5
CAN
6
USA
12
BRA
9
MEX
12
10th 50
2023 Ocelot Japan Racing Ocelot Basilica Peugeot PSE9X23 AUS
13
MAL
8
JPN
Ret
RSA
9
UAE
3
FRA
10
GBR
3
GER
2
BEL
3
ITA
9
TUR
24
CAN
1
USA
6
MEX
3
ARG
3
BRA
Ret
3rd 135
2024 Ocelot Japan Racing Ocelot Sovereign Peugeot PSE9X24 AUS
18
MAL
Ret
SIN
JPN
FRA
GBR
GER
NED
BEL
ITA
KWT
CAN
USA
MEX
ARG
BRA
24th* 0*

* Season in progress.

IndyVirtual Triple Crown results

Year Team Manufacturer JPN MON CAL Pos. Points
Q R Q R Q R
2017 Cerberus Motorsport Chevrolet 11 9 14 Ret 6 Ret 24th 49

Complete IndyVirtual results

(results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap; results with * indicate most laps led)

Year Team Manufacturer 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 WDC Points
2017 Cerberus Motorsport Chevrolet FLO
DAY
JPN
9
SUR
IND
CAN
SEB
INDY
MON
Ret
FRA
GBR
GER
RSA
NYC
LBH
CAL
Ret
AUS
MAC
35th 49