Patrick Friesacher
Patrick Friesacher ( born September 26, 1980 in Wolfsberg, Carinthia ) is an Austrian race car driver. In 2005 he drove eleven Grand Prix races in Formula 1
Career
A promising racing career already seemed to be over, as Friesacher 1997 suffered a heavy kart accident. Two broken legs due six weeks of hospitalization and a further seven weeks in a wheelchair. After rehabilitation at Willi Dungl - he had to learn to walk again - he could continue his career and moved into formula racing. After he finished third in the French Formula Campus in 1998, In 1999 he was third in Class B of the French Formula 3 Championship. In 2000, Friesacher in the German Formula 3 Championship and finished sixth overall.
In 2001 Friesacher in the formula 3000th For supervised by RSM Marko Red Bull Junior Team starting, he was 13th in the overall standings. In his second season Friesacher stayed with his team and improved to tenth overall. 2003 denied Friesacher his third season in Formula 3000 and started again for the Red Bull Junior Team, which has since been cared for by Coloni Motorsport. After Friesacher after missing two races after a fracture of the left ulna, he won his first race in Budapest. With further three podium finishes, he finished second in the overall standings behind his teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi fifth overall. 2004 remained Friesacher in Formula 3000th After driving the first four races for Super Nova Racing, he moved to Coloni Motorsport and again won the race in Budapest. As in the previous year was Friesacher fifth overall.
After four years in Formula 3000, he managed to jump into the top tier Formula 1 he received for the 2005 Formula 1 season a contract with the financially weak Minardi team as team-mate Albers. When the U.S. Grand Prix 2005 in Indianapolis Friesacher brought on 19 June 2005 as the sixth launched six pilot his first World Championship points. In July 2005, his racing season ended after eleven races prematurely due to outstanding payments to sponsor Minardi. He had his place at the Grand Prix of Germany for the Dutchman Robert Doornbos, formerly Jordan Test Pilot freely make.
After his Formula 1 involvement was ended, he took part in two races of the A1GP season 2005/2006. 2007, Friesacher no racing applications. According to a report of the television premiere, he was driving the Minardi F1 two-seater with guests on board in the opening act of the Champ Car race.
For 2008, there was again a racing cockpit. The Carinthian drove for the team Risi Competizione from the race in Saint Petersburg a Ferrari 430 GT in the American LeMans Series. His teammate was the American Harrison Brix. Moreover, in the sister car drove another ex-Formula 1 driver Mika Salo. After the end of this commitment Friesacher has gone more to the start in any racing series.
In 2008, he was also a test driver for the new A1GP car in use. He had an accident at Magny -Cours after breaking a strut of the rear right wheel suspension in the fast Estoril Passage and broke three thoracic vertebrae.
In January 2010 it was announced that its grant making of the Carinthian Government under Jorg Haider possibly came from bribes from Russian industrialist, which it received the Austrian citizenship.