Christijan Albers
Albers ( born April 16, 1979 in Eindhoven ) is a Dutch racing driver. He started from 2005 to 2007 at 46 Grand Prix in Formula 1 Albers won the 1999 championship of the German Formula 3 and in 2003 vice-champion of the DTM, where he was from 2001 to 2003 and 2008 active.
He is the former Rallycross driver André Albers son.
- 4.1 Statistics in Formula 1 4.1.1 Individual Results
Career
Beginnings in motorsport
Albers began his motorsport career in karting at a young age, where he was active until 1997. Among other things, he won the 1997 Dutch Kart Championship. In the same year he had his first experience in Formula racing and immediately won the championship title in the Benelux Formula Ford 1998, he joined the German Formula 3 Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing. While his team-mate Bas Leinders won the league title, the Dutchman two races decided in his favor and was fifth in the overall standings. 1999 Albers denied his second season in the German Formula 3 and won with six wins the championship.
In 2000 he moved to European Arrows F3000, the team of Paul Stoddart in the formula 3000th He could not with his team -mate Mark Webber, who finished third with a win to keep up, and finished second in the standings with no points to 25th place. Despite the weak results of the Dutch was allowed to complete in 2001 and 2002 Formula 1 test runs with the purchased Stoddart Minardi team.
DTM
Albers main focus in the 2001 season, however, was his involvement in DTM. Through the mediation of the friend of his father and former Rallycross driver Paul Fauchey he received a last year's model of Mercedes -Benz, which was used by the team Persson. Despite the older material he succeeded at the Sachsenring as a Second podium placement behind his fellow Bernd Schneider. At the end of the season, he finished 14th place overall. In 2002 he moved to Team Rosberg, and received a new Mercedes -Benz from the previous season. With some points standings, he finished the season ranked twelfth in the driver standings.
After Uwe Alzen had made his cockpit at the Mercedes -Benz top team HWA AG 2003, Albers received his place and for the first time a current Mercedes -Benz. Although the Dutchman won with four races twice as many runs as his teammate Schneider, but in a short season finale at the Hockenheimring lost the battle for the championship against Schneider and German was behind the runner-up.
2004 Albers was the HWA team. Although he had his teammates Schneider this season in the grip, but he was beaten by his other teammates Gary Paffett and finished as the second best-placed Mercedes -Benz driver behind the champion Mattias Ekström and Paffett third place in the championship.
Formula 1
Minardi (2005)
Although he has had in the DTM has one of the best cars, Albers decided for a change in the highest class of motor sport, Formula 1, in which he should not have a good race car. After he had completed testing for Jordan and Minardi in winter, him, his former Formula 3000 team boss Paul Stoddart took for the 2005 season under contract. With the difficult driving Albers Minardi had one of the worst cars in the field. However, he was not without points, as he finished fifth at the Grand Prix of the United States. This result was supported by a start waiving the Michelin teams. It therefore start only the three Bridgestone teams Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi. However, his teammate Patrick Friesacher and Robert Doornbos was the Dutchman mostly keep behind him and so he finished the season in front of them on the 19th place in the drivers' standings.
Midland / Spyker (2006-2007)
After Stoddart Minardi had sold to Red Bull, Albers moved in 2006 to the Jordan - Midland F1 Racing team successor. Again Albers possessed one of the bad formula 1 car in the field and he could usually keep only the Super Aguri drivers behind. At the end of the season, he finished behind his team-mate Tiago Monteiro with no points to 22 overall. After the team had already been sold to the Dutch sports car maker Spyker during the 2006 season, he went in 2007 for the Midland - Spyker F1 team successor to the start. The beginning of the season was not optimal for the Dutchman, who with Adrian Sutil had a strong teammate, who was usually faster than himself. An extensive media coverage generated Albers at the Grand Prix of France, in which he pulled away too soon on his pit stop and the fuel hose demolition. Niki Lauda described subsequently, that he had " never seen such a stupid action." Although the media had speculated about a separation from him, he was allowed to begin again for Spyker at the Grand Prix of Great Britain. After the Grand Prix of Great Britain Albers was finally released .. Officially, his termination was motivated by " financial problems ".
DTM and Le Mans
2008 Albers returned to Futurecom TME back in the DTM and first appeared in an Audi. Curiously, he started for the team of Colin Kolles, who had a year earlier dismissed him in Formula 1. Albers experienced a difficult season, beating with his two year old vehicle only his teammate Katherine Legge. All other pilots had newer cars. At the end of the season, he finished 17th overall.
After he had given in 2008 in a race his debut in the American Le Mans Series, he went in 2009 to two races of this series. However, his main focus was on the Le Mans Series 2009 season in which he took for the team of Kolles and finished 15th overall. He also appeared at the 24- hour race at Le Mans in 2009 and has been with his team ninth.
Personal
Albers is of European fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s in motorsport Rallycross Porsche 911 Carrera driver André Albers son (International Dutch Rallycross Champion in 1979 and 5th place of the GT division of the FIA European Rallycross 1979 ) from Nigtevecht.
Albers is married to Liselore Kooijman since November 11, 2006.
Trivia
Albers was rather surprising in a hospital in Eindhoven to the world after his father had driven the nearby Valkenswaard Rallycross and the mother of sheer excitement into labor, then what a hasty transportation by private car made it necessary in the nearest clinic.
Career stations
- 2004: DTM ( 3rd place)
- 2005: Formula 1 ( 19th place )
- 2006: Formula 1 ( 22nd place)
- 2007: Formula 1 ( 25th place )
- 2008: DTM ( 17th place )
- 2009: Le Mans Series ( No. 15 )