Davidson came to Formula One with impeccable credentials, having developed his racing skills in karting (runner-up in the 1996 European Karting Championship and 1997 Asian Karting Champion) before commencing a rapid ascent of the single-seater racing ladder.
Most notably for Davidson, he won the 2000 Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the European Formula Three Championship title in 2001. He also covered over 12,000 km in a Formula One car as an official test driver for British American Racing.
In 2001, he joined BAR Honda's team as a test driver, while remaining in the British Formula 3. The following year he made his grand prix debut with Minardi when he replaced Alex Yoong for two races.
Starting in 2003, the Briton returned to BAR Honda to serve as the team's reserve driver, racing one more time in 2005 as a stand-in for Takuma Sato.
Davidson finally got the chance he has longed for in 2007, driving full time alongside Takuma Sato at Super Aguri F1 Team. Although he didn't score any points, he brought the team three 11th-place finishes.
