Karl Wendlinger
Karl Wendlinger ( born December 20, 1968 in Kufstein, Austria ) is a former Formula 1 racing driver and was from 2002 to 2003 active driver in the DTM. Since 2004, he drives in the FIA GT Championship. Wendlinger is married and has two children.
- 2.1 Statistics in Formula 1 2.1.1 Individual Results
Career
The time before the Formula 1
He made his first steps in 1983 in the kart He persuaded by good performances and launched in 1988 in his first Formula 3 season, which he completed as Austrian champion. The following year he won the German championship in Formula 3 He generated enough attention to in 1990 to secure a starting place at the Mercedes factory team in the World Sportscar Championship. The team included, among others, Jochen Mass, Heinz -Harald Frentzen and Michael Schumacher.
The time in Formula 1
In 1991, he took with the Sauber - Mercedes team, the World Sportscar Championship. This success earned him his first two Formula 1 races in a Leyton House / Ilmor. After the young designer Adrian Newey revised the difficult chassis already on his debut in Formula 1, the single-seater was transformed and allowed Wendlinger considerable rankings and score points. His commitment he sat in 1992 March - Ilmor and 1993 Sauber -Mercedes continued.
In 1994 he had during practice for the Grand Prix in Monaco exit of the tunnel a serious accident in which he crashed into the barriers on the side. His head came through the then low cockpit limitations to the obstacle and he suffered significant brain contusions and a leg injury that stiffened his right knee and should hinder him in the subsequent period. He lay for several weeks in a coma and was able to stop racing in 1994. In 1995, he competed in six Formula 1 races, but he could no longer carry on a grand performance and ended his Formula 1 career, since he could not find another contractor.
The time according to the formula 1
He signed a contract with Audi and launched in 1996 in the Super Tourenwagen Cup ( STW- Cup). The following year he took part in the Italian Touring Car Championship. From 1997 to 1999, a detour followed in the FIA GT Championship with a Chrysler Viper GTS -R, which he left as a master in 1999. Also for his achievements in the season he received at the end of Austria's Racer of the Year 1999 awarded. ORECA which had already entered the middle of the season with Wendlinger and Tommy Archer in the American Le Mans Series, changed in 2000, completely in the American racing series. It made Wendlinger, as in the previous year, with Olivier Beretta a driver pairing. He and Beretta won at the end of the year in the GTS category and also won the 24 - hour race at Daytona.
In 2001 he again took part for Audi at the STW Cup and launched in addition to the V8 Star Championship in Zakspeed team. In 2002 he moved to the DTM, in which he altogether luckless was launched for Abt- Audi. Since the 2004 season Wendlinger moves back to the FIA GT Championship. For this purpose he was obliged in 2004 by JMB Racing, where he first a Ferrari 575 Maranello GTC and the following year drove a Maserati MC12. Undertook in 2006 the newly founded Austrian team " RaceAlliance " the Kufstein. Together with his team-mate Philip Peter, he celebrated in his Aston Martin DBR9 including a victory at Mugello.
2007 Wendlinger drove on for the team, which is now " Jetalliance " is, after a restructuring. After victories in Monza, Zolder Adriatic and Karl Wendlinger was, along with his teammates this year's Ryan Sharp from Scotland, second in the FIA GT drivers championship with 57 points, four points behind Thomas Biagi on a Maserati MC12. At the end of the 2007 season Wendlinger was selected by the Supreme National Sports Commission to Austria motor sportsman of the year 2007 due to his outstanding performance.
FIA GT 2008 season, he continues to start with teammate Ryan Sharp and won the season opener at Silverstone. Another win follows the fourth round of the FIA GT at Oschersleben. However, during the following season's highlight, the 24 -hour race in Spa- Francorchamps, the vehicle failed after an accident. In the following race in Bucharest, the team pulled both vehicles back due to a faulty engine mount from the start. The residue in the championship at that time was already so great that even the following victory in Brno and another podium finish were not enough, to build on last year's result. The team entered the season finale in San Luis not to and then ended his involvement in the FIA GT Championship.
In the 2009 season Wendlinger went along with his last year's teammate Ryan Sharp for the new Czech team " KplusK Motorsport " with a revised Saleen S7R again in the FIA GT Championship at the start. Despite a victory in the season opener at Silverstone the season for the Tyrolean was disappointing. Another win in the race at the Hungaroring in Budapest was subsequently withdrawn because Wendlinger Saleen did not meet the technical regulations. Due to financial problems the team Wendlinger and Sharp could not go to the start at several races of the 2009 season. Karl Wendlinger therefore separated end of the season of " KplusK Motorsport ".
2010 FIA GT Championship was discontinued in favor of the FIA GT1 World Championship. Karl Wendlinger secured a cockpit at the Swiss Racing Team and played with the Swiss Henri Moser on a Nissan GT -R GT1 World Championship. The vote of the car proved to be extremely problematic, so Wendlinger and Moser were often not competitive. Won Compared to competitors team Sumo Power, which is also on Nissan denied the season and even two rounds of the season ( Silverstone / GB and Portimão / PT), had ultimate experience disadvantages. Sumo Power had already taken out of competition in the 2009 season as a development team in the Championship with the Nissan GT -R GT1, gaining valuable insights for the tuning of the car. Also in 2010 came into force in technical regulations of the racing series did not favor the Swiss Racing Team. The FIA allowed the teams in the 2010 season with the vehicles of the 2009 season to compete, although this did not correspond to the actual technical specifications of the FIA. To compensate for the resulting performance advantage of the old race cars, led the FIA method, a comparison of the vehicles through (called " Balance of Performance " ) and finished after certain vehicles with technical constraints. Despite this procedure, a compensation did not succeed satisfactorily. Vehicles according to the new regulations, such as the controlled Wendlinger / Moser Nissan GT -R GT1 were disadvantaged. In addition, there were technical defects and accidents that forced several times, driving a Wendlinger / Moser to give up. All in all, Karl Wendlinger could only twice in the place points (10th place Brno / CZ, 10th Place Nürburgring / D).
2011 saw the launch Karl Wendlinger again in the FIA GT1 World Championship Swiss Racing team principal Othmar Welti around team with a Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670 R -SV, which the Swiss had taken over from the German team Reiter Engineering. His teammate was the Dutchman Peter Kox. In the first race of the season in Abu Dhabi, the duo was in the middle place (P10 Qualifikationsrennen/P7 championship races). In the second round of the season at Zolder Wendlinger and Kox came with P4 in the qualifying race and the championship race the podium very close. At the next race in Portimao the Austro- Dutch Rennduo landed in the qualification race on P10 and in the championship race at P5. In the fourth race of the season at the Sachsenring the season was abruptly ended. In the qualifying race, they managed only on P12. The main reason was a disciplinary transfer to the last place because Wendlinger had overtaken in qualifying under red flag. In the championship race of the Lamborghini Wendlinger and Kox got no fault in a crash after the start. The damage to the car was a continuation of the race no longer. The damage to the vehicle was so serious that the SRT recovery was not possible. The season was so terminated for Karl Wendlinger. In the overall standings of the World Cup 2011 he finished P16. In the ILMC series had the Tyrolean even a guest appearance in a Lotus Evora GTE for the Jetalliance Racing team at Silverstone race.
In the 2012 season, Karl Wendlinger joined the Belgian team KRK Racing, which was launched in the Blancpain Endurance Series. In a team of three with Koen Wauters and Anthony Kumpen he drive a Mercedes -Benz SLS AMG GT3 in the professional class of the race series. In the first race of the season at Monza 3rd place ( overall and class ranking) could be achieved. In the next race in Silverstone, the trio came in 13th place overall ( rating class 7th). One of the doors of the Mercedes -Benz SLS AMG GT3 went on during Wendlinger stint, which led to an unscheduled pit stop and the associated to loss of time. Other missions in the race series, it did not come, as the sponsor of the KRK Racing Team withdrew. The team therefore reported in the remaining races of the season only to a car in the amateur class of the Blancpain Endurance Series. In August 2012, Karl Wendlinger came as a guest of the team SMS Seyffarth Motorsport together with Jan Seyffarth in a race of the ADAC GT Masters series at the Euro Speedway Lausitz in a Mercedes -Benz SLS AMG GT3. At the first race of the weekend Wendlinger collided at No. 13 lying in his stint and was thus at the end of the field thrown back ( number 27 ). Accordingly, the duo Wendlinger / Seyffahrt started the second race of the weekend from a bad starting place and brought the car to 23 position to the finish. Also for the team SMS Seyffarth Motorsport drove Karl Wendlinger the season finale of the International GT Open in Barcelona at the Circuit de Catalunya. He shared the cockpit in this race with his Tyrolean countryman Dominik Baumann, the former FIA GT3 European Championship. At the first race of the weekend, the duo from Tyrol occupied despite a 15-second time penalty 5th place in the GTS class. On the podium, they managed in the second race of the weekend, that they could finish on rank 3.
In 2013, Karl Wendlinger took over as brand ambassador for AMG part in the historic sports car race Mille Miglia. Together with his former mentor, Jochen Mass, he drove a Mercedes Benz SS, built in 1930. Moreover, he went on the vintage car rally Silvretta Classic 2013 with a Mercedes AMG W109 300SEL 6.3 (, Red sow ') at the start. Another application had Wendlinger the 24- hour race at Spa-Francorchamps. The British Fortec Motorsport team continued the Tyrolean for the race, which he played together with the British Alex Brundle and Oli Webb in a Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 in the professional class. The trio went from the 37th starting position on the grid. After about five hours, the drive shaft of the truck was defective. After three hours repairing the car could then return to the race. There were other unscheduled pit stops because of a defect in the power steering, a tire blowout and a problem at the wheel sensor. Finally, the car reached the destination on the total number 31 (Class 13th).
Statistics
Statistics in Formula 1
Individual results
Le Mans results
Activity for media
Karl Wendlinger has worked as a co-host for the ORF in Formula 1 racing since 2010. In addition, it is common in the show " Sports and Talk from Hangar 7 " at Servus TV as Formula 1 expert guest. In February 2012 Karl Wendlinger was appointed Mercedes -AMG brand ambassador alongside Bernd Schneider and David Coulthard, and is an instructor at the AMG Driving Academy.