Christian Klien

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Klien started his motorsport career in his early teens, racing in karting championships in Austria and Switzerland before moving to Formula BMW. After winning several titles in lower Formulas, he moved into Formula One with Jaguar Racing alongside Mark Webber. When Jaguar was sold to Red Bull and renamed Red Bull Racing, Klien shared a race seat with Vitantonio Liuzzi in an unusual arrangement. He stayed at Red Bull for 2006 while Liuzzi moved to Scuderia Toro Rosso. After an unsuccessful 2006, Klien was replaced by his old teammate Mark Webber for 2007, news he learned from Webber himself. He then secured a test driver seat at Honda, and later signed as BMW Sauber's reserve and test driver for 2008 alongside Marko Asmer.

In Their Own Story

The V10 engine screamed as Christian Klien pushed the RB2 through the corners of a Grand Prix weekend, the chassis vibrating beneath his hands. It wasn't just about speed; it was about survival against more powerful rivals. On track, the orange and blue livery cut through the field not with flashiness, but with calculated precision. In those moments behind the wheel, amidst the roar of the engines and the tension on the pit wall, Klien proved that consistency could carve a legacy just as effectively as pole position. In 2006, Klien started strongly, qualifying in the top-ten for the first two races of the season. In Bahrain he finished eighth, 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.

Reader's Guide

Klien's Formula One career included driving for Jaguar (2004), Red Bull (2005–2006), and HRT (2010). At Jaguar, he scored his only points of the debut season with a sixth-place finish in Belgium. At Red Bull, he started 2005 with points finishes in the first two races (7th in Australia, retired in Malaysia) and later scored points in Turkey (8th) and China (5th). In 2006, he scored points in Bahrain (8th) and Germany. After leaving Red Bull, he became test driver for Honda and then BMW Sauber. He returned to racing with HRT in 2010, replacing Sakon Yamamoto for the Singapore, Brazilian, and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.

Did You Know?

• Klien was the first driver to ever outqualify Mark Webber from the same team.
• He won the 2003 Marlboro Masters event at Zandvoort.
• Klien finished third overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2008 driving a Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.
• He refused a ChampCar seat for 2007 to chase a Formula One drive.