Roman Senna De Angelis Bio
Roman Senna De Angelis, born on 15 February 2001 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, is a Canadian racing driver who currently competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for the Heart of Racing Team. Racing the No. 27 Aston Martin GT Vantage, he has built his reputation as one of the most promising young sports car talents to come out of Canada. He is the only Canadian ever selected for the Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy, a program designed to develop the next generation of GT endurance stars.
De Angelis began his career in karting at the age of 9 and quickly established himself as a rising star. Over the years, he has progressed through Formula Ford, the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge in both Canada and the United States, and into the top tier of North American sports car racing. He is recognized as the first driver in history to win both the IMSA GT3 Cup Platinum Class Canadian and USA Championships in the same season.
Early Life and Background
Roman Senna De Angelis was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, a Canadian city directly across the border from Detroit, Michigan. Windsor’s deep automotive culture and proximity to major American racing venues helped shape his early interest in motorsports. Growing up surrounded by car culture, he spent much of his childhood watching races and dreaming of competing on the same tracks.
At the age of 9, De Angelis climbed into a kart for the first time and immediately found his passion. He showed remarkable pace for a young beginner, and over the next several years, he climbed the Canadian karting ladder. In 2014, at the age of 13, he won the Canadian National Karting Championship, one of the most prestigious junior titles in the country.
Path to NASCAR
De Angelis did not follow the traditional NASCAR ladder of late models, ARCA, and stock car series. Instead, his career has been built on the international sports car path, moving from karting to open-wheel Formula 1600 machinery before transitioning to Porsche GT3 machinery. This European-style path shaped his driving style and opened the door to factory-level sports car opportunities. Although he has not competed in NASCAR, his progression through formula cars and GT machinery is well documented and respected across the broader motorsports community.
Roman Senna De Angelis Career
Early Career (2016-2018)
In 2016, De Angelis moved up from karting to Formula 1600 competition. He won Rookie of the Year honors that season after finishing second overall in an 18-race schedule, an impressive result for a driver straight out of karting.
The following year, he shifted to sports car racing and joined Mark Motors Racing in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge Canada. In his first season, he won the GT3 Cup Gold Class Canadian Championship, becoming the youngest driver ever to win a championship in GT3 Cup history at just 16 years old. In 2018, he added a runner-up finish in both the Canadian and USA GT3 Cup Platinum Class championships and also scored his first endurance race victory at the inaugural IMSA Prototype Challenge Roar Before the Rolex 24, driving a Ligier JS P3 for ANSA Motorsports.
IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge Breakthrough (2019)
The 2019 season was the most successful of De Angelis’s young career. Racing for Mark Motors Racing in Canada and Kelly Moss Racing in the United States, he dominated both IMSA GT3 Cup Platinum Class series. He became the first driver ever to win both the Canadian and USA Platinum Class championships in the same year.
Across 24 starts, he produced 18 victories, 14 pole positions, and 22 podium finishes, a stunning run of consistency and pace that confirmed his status as one of the top young GT talents in North America and earned him a place in the Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy.
Heart of Racing Team Era (2020-Present)
For 2020, De Angelis moved to the Heart of Racing Team and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, piloting the No. 23 Aston Martin GT Vantage in the GT Daytona class. The team secured a third-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway and a season-best runner-up result at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. That same year, he also drove an Aston Martin GT3 with Garage59 at the Bathurst 12 Hour in Australia, finishing second in the GT3 Silver class, and scored GT4 America victories at Circuit of The Americas and Indianapolis with Panoz Racing.
In 2021, he continued with Heart of Racing, joined by Ross Gunn as his principal co-driver. The duo earned a podium at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and scored their first victory together at the Detroit Grand Prix on the Raceway at Belle Isle Park. By season’s end, he and Gunn had clinched the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup title in the GT Daytona class.
Driving Style and Strengths
De Angelis is widely regarded as a smooth, technically refined GT driver with strong race craft and excellent tire management, skills developed through years of Porsche GT3 Cup racing. His ability to extract consistent pace over long stints and to deliver in mixed-condition endurance events has made him a natural fit for sports car racing. His partnership with co-driver Ross Gunn has been a key factor in his continued success at the GT Daytona level.
Notable Races and Milestones
Among his signature results are his 2019 sweep of the GT3 Cup Platinum titles in Canada and the United States, his first endurance win at the Roar Before the Rolex 24, his runner-up finish at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, and his first IMSA WeatherTech victory at the Detroit Grand Prix. His selection to the Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy further underscored his standing as a future factory-level star.
Roman Senna De Angelis Career Wins
Roman De Angelis has built a strong and steadily growing list of wins across karting, single-make GT3 championships, and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. His most celebrated achievements include the 2014 Canadian National Karting Championship, the 2019 IMSA GT3 Cup Platinum Class titles in both Canada and the United States, and the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup in the GT Daytona class.
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Highlights
Since joining Heart of Racing in 2020, De Angelis has recorded multiple podium finishes and a class victory at the Detroit Grand Prix. He and co-driver Ross Gunn also claimed the 2021 WeatherTech Sprint Cup GTD crown. Together they have produced some of the team’s most consistent GTD results, including a runner-up finish at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his IMSA WeatherTech results, De Angelis won the 2017 IMSA GT3 Cup Gold Class Canadian Championship, swept the 2019 IMSA GT3 Cup Platinum titles, and earned his first endurance win at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 in 2018. He has also added GT4 America victories at Circuit of The Americas and Indianapolis, along with a class podium at the Bathurst 12 Hour in Australia.
Roman Senna De Angelis Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
De Angelis grew up in Windsor, Ontario, in a family that supported his early passion for motorsports. While his parents have largely remained out of the public spotlight, his hometown’s deep automotive roots clearly influenced his career path from karting onward.
Personal Life
Roman Senna De Angelis continues to reside in North America and balances his racing commitments with a low public profile outside the cockpit. He remains active with fans through his social media channels, where he shares updates on his racing season with the Heart of Racing Team.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, Roman De Angelis remains a central figure within the Heart of Racing Team’s GT Daytona program. Riding the momentum of his 2021 WeatherTech Sprint Cup title and several strong endurance results, he enters 2025 as one of the most experienced young GTD drivers in the field.
His partnership with co-driver Ross Gunn continues to anchor the team’s long-distance efforts, and the duo will be focused on converting their proven pace into an overall GTD championship. With the Aston Martin GT Vantage program now fully established within the team, expectations are high for consistent podium finishes across the Michelin Endurance Cup and full-season championship battles.
As the 2025 calendar unfolds, key endurance events such as the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, and the Motul Petit Le Mans will likely serve as the defining moments of De Angelis’s season. With a deep résumé of GT championships already behind him, he is well positioned to make a serious run at the GTD title in 2025.