Christian Klien

Christian Klien (born 7 February 1983) is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver. In total he has scored 14 points in Formula One. Klien currently competes full-time in the Blancpain GT Series.

Christian Klien
Klien at the Silverstone round of the ELMS 2014
Born (1983-02-07) 7 February 1983
Hohenems, Austria
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Austrian
Active years20042006, 2010
TeamsJaguar, Red Bull, HRT
Entries51 (49 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points14
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry2004 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years2008–2009, 2011, 2014
TeamsTeam Peugeot Total, Aston Martin Racing
Best finish3rd (2008)
Class wins0

Racing career

Born in Hohenems, Klien started his motorsport career in his early teens. He raced in karting championships in both Austria and Switzerland, before moving to Formula BMW. After winning several titles in lower Formulas, Klien moved into Formula One, driving for the Jaguar Racing team, alongside Mark Webber. At the end of 2004, however, Jaguar sold its Formula One team to Red Bull, which renamed it Red Bull Racing. In an unusual arrangement, Klien shared a race seat with Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi. He stayed at Red Bull for 2006, whilst Liuzzi moved to the Red Bull junior team, Scuderia Toro Rosso.

After an unsuccessful 2006, Klien's old teammate Mark Webber replaced him for the 2007 season, news Klien learned from Webber himself. Klien was offered alternatives to Formula One for 2007, including driving in the ChampCar series, but he refused and aimed for a seat in Formula One.[1] He secured the test driver's seat at Honda, despite competition from other drivers, including Gary Paffett.

On 2 February 2008 Klien signed as BMW Sauber's reserve and test driver for the 2008 Formula One season, alongside Estonian Marko Asmer.

Pre-Formula One

Klien became enthused about racing when his dad brought him to watch a Go-Kart race. This enthusiasm for the sport was only increased after meeting Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna.[2] The Austrian started his career at the age of 13.[3] From 1996 to 1998, Klien won several kart races in both Switzerland and his native Austria, becoming the Suisse champion in his first year.

In 1999, Klien moved to racing in the Formula BMW ADAC Junior Cup, winning four races and finishing fourth in the series.[3] The following year, he moved into the main Formula BMW ADAC Championship with Team Rosberg, finishing the series ranked tenth overall and third in the rookie rankings.[3] Continuing in the series in 2001, Klien managed to win five races, and ended up third in the series.[3] Joining JD Motorsport for the Italian winter Formula Renault series, he won one event, which led to a drive for the team in German Formula Renault for 2002.[3]

Klien won four races, winning the German title, and finishing fifth in the European series. From there, Klien moved into the Formula Three Euroseries, with Mucke Motorsport, winning four races and finishing runner-up to Ryan Briscoe. Klien also won the 2003 Marlboro Masters event at Zandvoort.[3]

Formula One

Klien driving for Jaguar at the 2004 Belgian Grand Prix, where he scored his first Formula One points

Jaguar (2004)

In December 2003, Klien was signed as a race driver for the Jaguar Formula One team for the 2004 season,[4] replacing Justin Wilson, who had replaced Antônio Pizzonia for the final 5 Grand Prix of the 2003 season.[5] He had significant pressure on him as second driver to his more experienced teammate Mark Webber, but was the first driver to ever outqualify Webber from the same team.

Klien proved to be considerably reliable over the season, retiring only on 4 occasions out of the possible 18. Klien's only points scoring finish in his debut season came in Belgium, where Klien finished sixth; scoring 3 Championship points. He finished alongside Cristiano da Matta and Nick Heidfeld in joint 16th in the Drivers' Championship.

Red Bull (2005–2006)

Klien in qualifying at the 2005 United States Grand Prix
2005

Jaguar were bought out in November 2004 by Austrian energy drink company Red Bull and were renamed Red Bull Racing.[6] During winter testing in 2005, Klien tested several times for Red Bull Racing alongside Vitantonio Liuzzi and David Coulthard. Klien secured the second race seat at Red Bull, alongside Coulthard. Klien started the year with points finishes in the first two races before retiring in Bahrain before the race had even started due to an electrical problem.

With both Klien and Liuzzi signed to race for the Red Bull team in 2005, Red Bull announced that Liuzzi would be racing at the next 4 rounds in San Marino, Spain, Monaco and the European Grands Prix instead of Klien.[7] Originally, Klien was ineligible to be a third driver at these Grand Prix, as he had competed in over six Grand Prix the previous year, but after a majority of teams asked the FIA to remove this ruling, Klien was allowed to take this role at Imola.[8]

The Austrian returned to the race seat for the Canadian Grand Prix and maintained his race seat thanks to his strong performances and Red Bull's increased number of seats from the purchase of the Minardi team (which was renamed Scuderia Toro Rosso, Italian for "Team Red Bull") in 2006.[9] Klien finished his second year in Formula One with two further points finishes: an 8th-place finish in Turkey and a 5th at the season-finale in China. After a promising performance in China, it was confirmed in December 2005 that Klien would drive for the Red Bull Racing outfit alongside David Coulthard for the 2006 season.

2006
Klien driving for RBR at the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix

Klien started 2006 strongly, qualifying in the top 10 for the first 2 races of the season. In Bahrain he finished 8th, scoring a point. However, in Malaysia he collided with Kimi Räikkönen on the first lap and had to pit with suspension damage, before eventually dropping out with a hydraulic failure.

In 2006, Klien was unsuccessful in comparison to his more experienced teammate David Coulthard, as the Brit scored the team's first podium and was more consistent than Klien throughout the season. In August 2006, it was confirmed that Klien would not stay with the Red Bull team for the upcoming 2007 season, or at least as a race driver, due to Red Bull's signing of Mark Webber.[10] After the 2 points finishes in Bahrain and Germany, there was some uncertainty as to where Klien would go next in his racing career, speculation suggested America as a logical choice for the Austrian, but he refused a ChampCar seat in a Red Bull-backed team for 2007, preferring to chase a Formula One drive with another team.[11] As a result, the team announced that Klien had been dropped for the last three races of the season in favour of test driver Robert Doornbos.[12]

Honda and BMW Sauber (2007–2009)

Klien driving a Honda RA107 at the 2007 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Klien testing for BMW Sauber in Bahrain prior to the 2009 season

On 15 November 2006, Honda Racing announced the signing of Klien as their test and reserve driver for the 2007 season.[13] The Austrian made his debut for the Japanese works team at the Circuit de Catalunya, during the early pre-season testing during late November 2006. At the 2007 British Grand Prix, he replaced the injured Jenson Button for the second free practice session on Friday.[14] On 11 July 2007, Klien was released by Honda F1 to test with Spyker with a view to replacing Christijan Albers who was released because of sponsorship problems.[15] However, the seat went to Japanese driver Sakon Yamamoto.

In 2008 Klien signed as BMW Sauber's test and reserve driver for the 2008 Formula One season. He also signed with Peugeot to race in 24 Hours of Le Mans. Driving the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP he finished third overall with Ricardo Zonta and Franck Montagny. In October he participated in Petit Le Mans in the American Le Mans Series, driving with Peugeot's factory drivers Marc Gené and Nicolas Minassian.

Klien remained in the position of BMW Sauber's test and reserve driver for 2009.[16] He also returned to Le Mans with Peugeot, finishing sixth overall in a 908 shared with Pedro Lamy and Minassian.

For 2010, Klien was understood to be an option for Sauber before the seat went to Pedro de la Rosa.

HRT (2010)

Klien was then tipped to become Hispania Racing's reserve driver despite being second favourite to ex-US F1 man José María López but neither Klien or López got the seat. It went to former Super Aguri F1 and Spyker F1 driver Sakon Yamamoto. However, he was later signed by Hispania as well as Yamamoto.[17] He took part in his first Grand Prix weekend for three years at the Spanish Grand Prix, where he drove in the first practice session in place of Karun Chandhok. He replaced Chandhok again at the European Grand Prix where his session was made difficult by problems with his car. At the Singapore Grand Prix he was confirmed as a replacement for the ill Sakon Yamamoto, marking his first grand prix since the 2006 Italian Grand Prix.[18] He qualified in 22nd place, over a second ahead of team mate Bruno Senna, and ran just ahead of him in the race until a mechanical problem forced him to retire. He replaced Yamamoto for the final two races of the season in Brazil and Abu Dhabi,[19][20] but the team did not retain his services into the 2011 season.

Post-Formula One

Klien in the pits at Circuit Zolder, in the Blancpain GT Series.

After Formula One, Klien began racing in a number of categories including endurance racing, sports cars and V8 Supercars. He was close to a deal with Peugeot to race in the World Endurance Championship in 2012 before the French company withdrew from racing.[1]

Klien has taken part in a number of V8 Supercar drives, including the Bathurst 1000 where he teamed up with Russell Ingall.

Since late 2012 Klien writes a monthly column for the Pitpass.com website.[21]

In 2014 Klien signed a deal with NewBlood By Morand Racing to race in their 2014 ELMS campaign.[22]

In 2017 Klien joined the Bundesheer (Austrian Armed Forces) and will continue his racing career in addition to military service.[23]

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Team Races Poles Wins Points Position
1999 Formula BMW Junior ADAC Sport München 20 1 3 193 4th
2000 Formula BMW ADAC Team Rosberg 19 0 0 57 10th
2001 Formula BMW ADAC Team Rosberg 19 3 5 232 3rd
2002 Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup JD Motorsport 8 0 0 92 6th
Formula Renault 2000 Germany 14 2 4 278 1st
2003 Formula 3 Euro Series Mücke Motorsport 20 6 3 89 2nd
Masters of Formula 3 1 0 1 N/A 1st
2004 Formula One Jaguar Racing 18 0 0 3 16th
2005 Formula One Red Bull Racing 15 0 0 9 15th
2006 Formula One Red Bull Racing 15 0 0 2 18th
2008 24 Hours of Le Mans Peugeot Sport Total 1 0 0 N/A 3rd
American Le Mans Series Team Peugeot Total 1 0 0 26 17th
2009 24 Hours of Le Mans Team Peugeot Total 1 0 0 N/A 6th
American Le Mans Series 1 0 0 20 25th
Le Mans Series 1 1 0 11 19th
2010 Formula One Hispania Racing F1 Team 3 0 0 0 27th
2011 24 Hours of Le Mans Aston Martin Racing 1 0 0 N/A NC
Le Mans Series 1 0 0 0 NC
2012 International V8 Supercars Championship Walkinshaw Racing 3 0 0 168 51st
International Superstars Series Swiss Team 2 0 1 32 17th
2013 International Superstars Series Scuderia Giudici 2 0 0 8 24th
Auto GP Zele Racing 2 0 0 6 18th
ADAC Procar Series Liqui Moly Team Engstler 2 1 1 10 6th
European Le Mans Series Morand Racing 2 0 0 28 11th
2014 European Le Mans Series Newblood by Morand Racing 5 0 1 68 3rd
2015 FIA World Endurance Championship Team ByKolles 2 0 0 0 34th
Super GT Lexus Team SARD 1 0 0 0 NC
Renault Sport Trophy - Elite Class Zele Racing 3 0 0 0 NC†
Renault Sport Endurance Trophy 2 0 0 0 NC†
2016 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Emil Frey Racing 2 0 0 6 41st
2017 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Emil Frey Jaguar Racing 5 0 0 1 50th
Intercontinental GT Challenge Jaguar 1 0 0 0 NC
2018 Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup Emil Frey Lexus Racing 10 0 0 15.5 13th
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup 5 0 1 35 9th
2020 International GT Open JP Motorsport 12 1 1 68 6th
International GT Open - Pro-Am 12 4 4 62 2nd
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 2 0 0 0 NC
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Pro-Am 1 0 0 2 26th

As Klien was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 DC Points
2003 ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg Dallara F303/008 HWA-Mercedes HOC
1

4
HOC
2

6
ADR
1

3
ADR
2

21
PAU
1

Ret
PAU
2

7
NOR
1

Ret
NOR
2

10
LMS
1

2
LMS
2

1
NÜR
1

Ret
NÜR
2

1
A1R
1

5
A1R
2

5
ZAN
1

1
ZAN
2

2
HOC
3

23
HOC
4

3
MAG
1

Ret
MAG
2

3
2nd 89

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 WDC Points
2004 Jaguar Racing Jaguar R5 Cosworth CR-6 3.0 V10 AUS
11
MAL
10
BHR
14
SMR
14
ESP
Ret
MON
Ret
EUR
12
CAN
9
USA
Ret
FRA
11
GBR
14
GER
10
HUN
13
BEL
6
ITA
13
JPN
12
BRA
14
16th 3
Jaguar R5B CHN
Ret
2005 Red Bull Racing Red Bull RB1 Cosworth TJ2005 3.0 V10 AUS
7
MAL
8
BHR
DNS
SMR
TD
ESP
TD
MON
TD
EUR
TD
CAN
8
USA
DNS
FRA
Ret
GBR
15
GER
9
HUN
Ret
TUR
8
ITA
13
BEL
9
BRA
9
JPN
9
CHN
5
15th 9
2006 Red Bull Racing Red Bull RB2 Ferrari 056 2.4 V8 BHR
8
MAL
Ret
AUS
Ret
SMR
Ret
EUR
Ret
ESP
13
MON
Ret
GBR
14
CAN
11
USA
Ret
FRA
12
GER
8
HUN
Ret
TUR
11
ITA
11
CHN JPN BRA 18th 2
2007 Honda Racing F1 Team Honda RA107 Honda RA807E 2.4 V8 AUS MAL BHR ESP MON CAN USA FRA GBR
TD
EUR HUN TUR ITA BEL JPN CHN BRA    
2010 Hispania Racing F1 Team Hispania F110 Cosworth CA2010 2.4 V8 BHR AUS MAL CHN ESP
TD
MON TUR CAN EUR
TD
GBR GER HUN BEL ITA SIN
Ret
JPN KOR BRA
22
ABU
20
27th 0

Le Mans 24 Hours results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2008 Team Peugeot Total Franck Montagny
Ricardo Zonta
Peugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1 379 3rd 3rd
2009 Team Peugeot Total Nicolas Minassian
Pedro Lamy
Peugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1 369 6th 6th
2011 Aston Martin Racing Stefan Mücke
Darren Turner
Aston Martin AMR-One LMP1 4 DNF DNF
2014 Newblood by Morand Racing Gary Hirsch
Romain Brandela
Morgan LMP2-Judd LMP2 352 10th 6th

American Le Mans Series results

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine Tyres 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rank Points
2008 Team Peugeot Total LMP1 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP Peugeot HDi 5.5 L V12
(Diesel)
M SEB STP LNB UTA LIM MID AME MOS DET PET
ovr:2
cls:2
MON 17th 26
2009 Team Peugeot Total LMP1 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP Peugeot HDI 5.5 L Turbo V12
(Diesel)
M SEB
ovr:5
cls:4
STP LNB UTA LIM MID AME MOS PET MON 25th 20

Le Mans Series results

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine Tyres 1 2 3 4 5 Rank Points
2009 Team Peugeot Total LMP1 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP Peugeot HDI 5.5 L Turbo V12
(Diesel)
M CAT SPA
ovr:1
cls:1
ALG NÜR SIL 19th 11
2011 Aston Martin Racing LMP1 Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 Aston Martin 6.0 L V12 M CAS SPA IMO SIL1
ovr:9
cls:9
EST NC 0
1 Driver run for the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, no points awarded for the Le Mans Series.

Complete V8 Supercar results

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Final Pos Points
2011 Rod Nash Racing YMC
R1
YMC
R2
ADE
R3
ADE
R4
HAM
R5
HAM
R6
BAR
R7
BAR
R8
BAR
R9
WIN
R10
WIN
R11
HID
R12
HID
R13
TOW
R14
TOW
R15
QLD
R16
QLD
R17
QLD
R18
PHI
Q
PHI
R19
BAT
R20
SUR
R21

15
SUR
R22

Ret
SYM
R23
SYM
R24
SAN
R25
SAN
R26
SYD
R27
SYD
R28
77th 60
2012 Walkinshaw Racing ADE
R1
ADE
R2
SYM
R3
SYM
R4
HAM
R5
HAM
R6
BAR
R7
BAR
R8
BAR
R9
PHI
R10

PO
PHI
R11

PO
HID
R12
HID
R13
TOW
R14

PO
TOW
R15

PO
QLD
R16
QLD
R17
SMP
R18
SMP
R19
SAN
Q

19
SAN
R20

11
BAT
R21

9
SUR
R22
SUR
R23
YMC
R24
YMC
R25
YMC
R26
WIN
R27
WIN
R28
SYD
R29
SYD
R30
51st 168

Complete International Superstars Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 DC Points
2012 Swiss Team Maserati Quattroporte MNZ
1
MNZ
2
IMO
1
IMO
2
DON
1
DON
2
MUG
1
MUG
2
HUN
1

4
HUN
2

1
SPA
1
SPA
2
VAL
1
VAL
2
PER
1
PER
2
17th 32
2013 Scuderia Giudici BMW M3 (E92) MNZ
1
MNZ
2
BRN
1

Ret
BRN
2

6
SVK
1
SVK
2
ZOL
1
ZOL
2
ALG
1
ALG
2
DON
1
DON
2
IMO
1
IMO
2
VAL
1
VAL
2
24th 8

Complete Auto GP results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Pos Points
2013 Zele Racing MNZ
1
MNZ
2
MAR
1
MAR
2
HUN
1
HUN
2
SIL
1
SIL
2
MUG
1

8
MUG
2

9
NÜR
1
NÜR
2
DON
1
DON
2
BRN
1
BRN
2
18th 6

Complete European Le Mans Series results

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 Rank Points
2013 Morand Racing LMP2 Morgan LMP2 Judd HK 3.6 L V8 SIL IMO RBR HUN
5
LEC
2
11th 28
2014 Newblood by Morand Racing LMP2 Morgan LMP2 Judd HK 3.6 L V8 SIL
3
IMO
Ret
RBR
5
LEC
1
EST
2
3rd 68

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
2015 Team ByKolles LMP1 CLM P1/01 AER P60 Turbo V6 SIL
Ret
SPA
Ret
LMS NÜR COA FUJ SHA BHR 34th 0

Complete Super GT results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 DC Points
2015 Lexus Team SARD Lexus RC F GT500 OKA FUJ CHA FUJ SUZ
11
SUG AUT MOT NC 0

Complete Bathurst 1000 results

Year Team Car Co-driver Position Laps
2012 Walkinshaw Racing Holden Commodore VE Russell Ingall 9th 161

Complete Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup results

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points
2018 Emil Frey Lexus Racing Lexus RC F GT3 Pro ZOL
1

Ret
ZOL
2

20
BRH
1

11
BRH
2

14
MIS
1

9
MIS
2

Ret
HUN
1

6
HUN
2

13
NÜR
1

5
NÜR
2

7
13th 15.5

See also

References

All Formula One race and championship results are taken from:

  • Official Formula 1 Website. Archive: Results for 2004 – Present seasons www.formula1.com Retrieved 6 June 2006

Footnotes

  1. Coch, Mat (4 April 2012). "Coming Klien". Pitpass.com.
  2. "Q&A with Kubica, Heidfeld and Klien". Pitpass.com. 20 January 2009.
  3. GP Encyclopedia – Christian Klien Archived 8 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine GrandPrix.com. Retrieved 22 November 2006
  4. "Klien clinches Jaguar race seat for 2004" Official Formula One Website. Retrieved 22 November 2006
  5. "Klien replaces Wilson" BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 November 2006
  6. "Red Bull snaps up Jaguar F1 team" BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 November 2006
  7. "Imola race chance for Liuzzi" Official Formula One Website. Retrieved 22 November 2006
  8. "Red Bull secure Klien exemption" BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 November 2006
  9. "Red Bull swoop for Minardi deal" BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 November 2006
  10. "Webber confirmed at Red Bull" GrandPrix.com. Retrieved 23 November 2006
  11. "Matador no more – Klien bids Red Bull farewell" Archived 14 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Official Formula One Website. Retrieved 23 November 2006
  12. "Klien out, Doornbos in at Red Bull Racing" GrandPrix.com. Retrieved 11 September 2006
  13. "Honda Racing F1 Team Announces 2007 Test Driver Line-Up" NewsOnF1.net. Retrieved 15 November 2006
  14. "Klien stands in for injured Button". flagworld.auto123.com. 6 July 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2007.
  15. "Klien closes on Spyker drive". itv-f1.com. 12 July 2007. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
  16. "BMW confirm Heidfeld, Kubica for 2009". autosport.com. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2008.
  17. "Wednesday's F1 gossip column". BBC News. 5 May 2010.
  18. "Klien stands in for ill Yamamoto". BBC News. 24 September 2010.
  19. Elizalde, Pablo (4 November 2010). "Klien replaces Yamamoto for Brazil". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  20. Beer, Matt (10 November 2010). "Klien retains Hispania seat for Abu Dhabi". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  21. "Christian Klien joins Pitpass". Pitpass.com. 24 October 2012.
  22. "Morand Racing aims at victory in 2014 with Christian Klien and Gary Hirsch". newbloodracing.com. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 21 April 2014.
  23. "Ex-Formel 1-Pilot Christian Klien ist jetzt Soldat". heute (in German). 18 January 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Marcel Lasée
Formula Renault 2000 Germany
Champion

2002
Succeeded by
Ryan Sharp
Preceded by
Fábio Carbone
Masters of Formula 3
Winner

2003
Succeeded by
Alexandre Prémat
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