Christian Klien facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christian Klien
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Klien in 2014
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| Born | 7 February 1983 Hohenems, Austria
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| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Austrian |
| Active years | 2004–2006, 2010 |
| Teams | Jaguar, Red Bull, HRT |
| Entries | 51 (49 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 14 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2004 Australian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 2008–2009, 2011, 2014 |
| Teams | Peugeot, Aston Martin, Morand |
| Best finish | 3rd (2008) |
| Class wins | 0 |
| Previous series | |
| 2016–2023 2021 2015 2013–2014 2013 2012 2003 2002 2002 2000–2001 1999 |
GTWC Europe DTM FIA WEC ELMS Auto GP V8 Supercars F3 Euro Series German Formula Renault Formula Renault Eurocup Formula BMW ADAC Formula BMW Junior |
| Championship titles | |
| 2003 2002 |
Masters of Formula 3 German Formula Renault |
Christian Klien (born on February 7, 1983) is a professional racing driver from Austria. He competed in Formula One races from 2004 to 2010.
Christian was born and grew up in Hohenems, Austria. During his Formula One career, he drove for teams like Jaguar, Red Bull, and HRT. He earned 14 championship points over 51 Grand Prix races.
Contents
Christian Klien's Racing Journey
Christian Klien started his racing career as a teenager. He first competed in karting championships in Austria and Switzerland. After that, he moved on to Formula BMW racing.
Early Days in Racing
Christian became very interested in racing after his dad took him to a go-kart race. Meeting Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna made him even more excited about the sport. He began his racing journey at 13 years old. From 1996 to 1998, Christian won many kart races. He even became the Swiss champion in his very first year.
In 1999, Christian moved up to the Formula BMW ADAC Junior Cup. He won four races and finished fourth overall. The next year, he joined the main Formula BMW ADAC Championship with Team Rosberg. He finished tenth in the series and third among new drivers. In 2001, he continued in the series and won five races, finishing third overall.
He then joined JD Motorsport for the Italian winter Formula Renault series. He won one event, which led him to race in German Formula Renault in 2002. Christian won four races and became the German champion. He also finished fifth in the European series. After this, he moved to the Formula Three Euroseries with Mücke Motorsport. He won four races and finished second to Ryan Briscoe. Christian also won the 2003 Marlboro Masters event at Zandvoort.
Formula One Career
Driving for Jaguar (2004)
In December 2003, Christian Klien joined the Jaguar Formula One team. He became a race driver for the 2004 season. He replaced Justin Wilson, who had joined the team for the last five races of 2003. Christian faced a lot of pressure as the second driver. His teammate, Mark Webber, was much more experienced. However, Christian was the first driver to out-qualify Webber from the same team.
Christian was quite reliable during his first season. He only had to stop racing early in four out of 18 races. His only time scoring points in his first season was in Belgium. He finished sixth, earning three championship points. He ended the season tied for 16th place in the Drivers' Championship.
Time with Red Bull (2005–2006)
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2005 Season
In November 2004, the Austrian energy drink company Red Bull bought Jaguar. They renamed the team Red Bull Racing. In early 2005, Christian tested for Red Bull Racing many times. He tested alongside Vitantonio Liuzzi and David Coulthard. Christian secured the second race seat at Red Bull, racing with Coulthard. He started the year well, scoring points in the first two races. However, he had to withdraw from the Bahrain race before it even began due to an electrical issue.
Red Bull announced that Liuzzi would race in the next four rounds. These included races in San Marino, Spain, Monaco, and the European Grands Prix. Christian was originally not allowed to be a third driver in these races. This was because he had competed in more than six Grand Prix the previous year. But after most teams asked the FIA to change this rule, Christian was allowed to be the third driver.
Christian returned to the race seat for the Canadian Grand Prix. He kept his race seat thanks to his strong performances. Also, Red Bull bought the Minardi team, which meant more racing seats. This new team was renamed Scuderia Toro Rosso, which means "Team Red Bull" in Italian. Christian finished his second year in Formula One with two more points. He finished eighth in Turkey and fifth at the last race in China. After his good performance in China, it was confirmed in December 2005 that Christian would drive for Red Bull Racing again in 2006. He would race alongside David Coulthard.
2006 Season
Christian started 2006 strongly, qualifying in the top ten for the first two races. In Bahrain, he finished eighth and scored a point. However, in Malaysia, he crashed with Kimi Räikkönen on the first lap. He had to stop for repairs and later retired due to a hydraulic problem.
In 2006, Christian did not perform as well as his teammate David Coulthard. Coulthard scored the team's first podium finish and was more consistent. In August 2006, it was confirmed that Christian would not stay with Red Bull for the 2007 season as a race driver. This was because Red Bull signed Mark Webber. After scoring points in Bahrain and Germany, Christian's future in racing was uncertain. People thought he might go to the United States to race. However, he turned down a ChampCar seat for 2007. He wanted to find another Formula One team. As a result, Red Bull announced that Christian would not race in the last three races of the season. Test driver Robert Doornbos took his place.
Test Driver Roles (2007–2009)
On November 15, 2006, Honda Racing announced that Christian Klien would be their test and reserve driver for 2007. He first drove for the Japanese team at the Circuit de Catalunya in November 2006. At the 2007 British Grand Prix, he replaced an injured Jenson Button for a practice session. On July 11, 2007, Christian left Honda F1. He tested with Spyker to possibly replace Christijan Albers. However, the seat went to Japanese driver Sakon Yamamoto.
In 2008, Christian signed with BMW Sauber as their reserve and test driver for the 2008 Formula One season. He also signed with Peugeot to race in the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans. Driving the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, he finished third overall. His teammates were Ricardo Zonta and Franck Montagny. In October, he raced in Petit Le Mans in the American Le Mans Series. He drove with Peugeot's factory drivers Marc Gené and Nicolas Minassian.
Christian remained BMW Sauber's test and reserve driver for 2009. He also returned to Le Mans with Peugeot. He finished sixth overall in a 908 car. He shared the car with Pedro Lamy and Minassian. For 2010, Christian was considered for a seat at Sauber. However, the seat went to Pedro de la Rosa.
Racing for HRT (2010)
Christian was then expected to become Hispania Racing's reserve driver. He was later signed by Hispania, along with Sakon Yamamoto. He took part in his first Grand Prix weekend in three years at the 2010 Spanish Grand Prix. He drove in the first practice session instead of Karun Chandhok. He replaced Chandhok again at the 2010 European Grand Prix. His session was difficult due to car problems.
At the 2010 Singapore Grand Prix, he replaced an unwell Sakon Yamamoto. This was his first Grand Prix since the 2006 Italian Grand Prix. He qualified 22nd, more than a second ahead of his teammate Bruno Senna. He raced just ahead of Senna until a mechanical problem forced him to retire. He replaced Yamamoto for the last two races of the season in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. However, the team did not keep him for the 2011 season.
Life After Formula One
After his Formula One career, Christian Klien started racing in other types of motorsport. These included endurance racing, sports cars, and V8 Supercars. He was close to a deal with Peugeot to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012. However, Peugeot decided to stop racing.
Christian has participated in several V8 Supercar races. This includes the Bathurst 1000, where he teamed up with Russell Ingall. Since late 2012, Christian has written a monthly column for the Pitpass.com website. In 2014, he signed a deal with NewBlood By Morand Racing. He raced for them in the 2014 ELMS season.
In 2017, Christian joined the Bundesheer, which is the Austrian Armed Forces. He continues his racing career alongside his military service. He became an expert for ServusTV's Formula One coverage starting in 2021.
Christian competed part-time in the 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. He drove a McLaren for the Polish JP Motorsport team. He raced in three two-race events. He made his debut at Zolder, then raced at the Nürburgring and Assen. His best finish was fifth place in the first race at Assen.
In 2022, Christian continued racing GT3 cars for JP Motorsport. He switched to the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup.
Career Highlights
Christian Klien has had a varied and successful career in motorsport. He won the German Formula Renault title in 2002. In 2003, he won the Masters of Formula 3. He also achieved a podium finish (3rd place) at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 2008. In 2014, he finished 3rd in the European Le Mans Series - LMP2 class. He continues to race in various GT series.
Images for kids
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Klien testing for BMW Sauber in Bahrain prior to the 2009 season.
