Joel Granfors, 18, from the Swedish town of Eskilstuna, is a promising young racing driver and double champion in Scandinavian junior motorsport. In 2023, he entered the American single-seater landscape with a move into INDYCAR support series USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires, immediately winning at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Joel finished second overall, as the top rookie, in the 2022 GB3 Championship – Britain’s top-tier domestic single-seater series.
In 2021, Joel raced in the F4 British Championship, finishing a strong fourth overall.
The 2020 season saw Joel contest both the Aquila Synergy Cup and Formula Nordic championships, two of Sweden’s leading series for aspiring racing hopefuls. Having dominated throughout, he sealed both titles in emphatic fashion – despite sitting out the first round of the Formula Nordic campaign.
At the Formula Nordic round in Skellefteå – only his second-ever weekend in the car – Joel set a new record by winning all three races of the meeting; becoming the first driver ever to achieve the feat.
Joel is part of the Sweden National Team in racing, being the youngest driver on the scheme, and is also an avid sim racing player. He currently holds the iRacing Dallara F3 world record around the Silverstone and Daytona circuits.
2023: USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires
TEAM: Exclusive Autosport
LIVES: Eskilstuna, Sweden
BORN: 2005-06-24
FAMILY: Mother Carin, father Joakim, younger brother Linus
CAREER
AWARDS
JOIN!
“Joel is clearly a driving talent destined for great things. We look forward to working with Joel and providing him with guidance and support for his future endeavors.”
– Swedish motorsport ASN, the SBF
2022 GB3 CHAMPIONSHIP
Joel remains at Fortec Motorsport, but steps up the ranks to GB3 – formerly known as British Formula 3. The campaign proves a major success, with Joel taking second in the standings behind more experienced local racer Luke Browning.
2021 F4 British CHAMPIONSHIP
Joel heads to the UK for his international single-seater debut, contesting the competitive F4 British Championship for reigning champions Fortec Motorsport. With a host of podiums, fastest laps and a first crucial victory, he ends the season fourth overall to lead the team’s championship charge.
2020 Formula Nordic & Aquila Synergy Cup
Joel sweeps the Swedish domestic junior scene with a brace of championship wins at record pace. An unchallenged Aquila Synergy Cup title is backed up by an emphatic performance in the Formula Nordic series, which Joel wins despite not joining until the second round of the season. He swiftly writes history in only his second appearance in the series in Skellefteå, becoming the first driver to win all three races of a Formula Nordic event.
2019 Aquila Synergy Cup
The new entry-level Aquila Synergy Cup marks Joel’s point of entry into car racing. Despite joining only halfway through the season, Joel ends up winning more races than anyone; an early indication of things to come.
2012-2019 Karting
Getting his first kart at the tender age of five, Joel soon gets a taste for success on the Swedish karting tracks. Among the most notable achievements are three wins in the Swedish Cup – in three different categories, at that – and victory in the prestigious Klippan Cup. Joel continues to race in karts until early 2019, when he finally steps across to cars.
Sim racing
Complementing his real-life activities, Joel is a frequent sim racer. A frontrunner on the global iRacing platform, he has even set two world records behind the screen. Sim work is an integral part of a racing driver’s preparations and is key on every level on the road to Formula 1.
Rydell Special Award
“Joel’s results back in Sweden in 2020 clearly indicate his abilities and potential. He has every opportunity to become a leading international single-seater racer, and he is a humble and driven individual to top it off.”
– Rickard Rydell, 1998 BTCC champion and Rydell Special Award founder
