Alexander Wurz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Alexander Wurz | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Austrian |
| Car # | — |
| Current team | Honda Racing F1 |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Races | 69 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podium finishes | 3 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Career points | 45 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| First race | 1997 Canadian Grand Prix |
| Latest race | 2007 Chinese Grand Prix |
| 2007 position | — |
Alexander Wurz (born February 15, 1974 in Waidhofen an der Thaya, Lower Austria) is a retired Austrian Formula One racing driver. He is the test driver for the Honda Racing F1 team for the 2008 Formula One season. He is the second son of former rallycross driver Franz Wurz, the European Rallycross Champion in 1974, 1976 and 1982.
Contents |
[edit] BMX
Wurz first tasted competition in the BMX World Championship and won it outright in 1986.[1] This gave him an underlying physical fitness suitable for motor racing. In 2000, Wurz returned somewhat to his cycling roots, starting an MTB team with countryman Markus Rainer. The team, Rainer-Wurz.com, is currently sponsored by McLaren sponsors Siemens and Cannondale, amongst others. They are multiple World Cup winners.
[edit] Early career
Like most Formula One drivers, Wurz's motorsport career began with karting. In 1991, Wurz drove in Formula Ford. In 1993, he switched to the German Formula Three Championship. From 1996, Wurz drove an Opel Calibra for the Joest Racing touring car team in the DTM. Also in 1996, Wurz, together with Davy Jones and Manuel Reuter, won the Le Mans 24 Hours and in so doing became (at that time) the youngest ever winner of the 24-hour race.
[edit] Benetton
Wurz's Formula One debut was on June 15, 1997 at Montreal for Benetton filling in for fellow Austrian Gerhard Berger, who couldn't race due to illness.[2] Wurz impressed with a podium position in his third race before returning to being a test driver upon Berger's return to the cockpit at the German Grand Prix, which Berger won.
However, Wurz was rewarded with a full-time race seat for the 1998 season with Benetton and spent three more seasons at the team, partnered each year by Giancarlo Fisichella. A strong start to 1998 suggested a bright future, and even attracted the interest of Ferrari[citation needed], but the three-season stint at Benetton turned out to be a disappointment. Toward the end of his Benetton time, Fisichella produced better results.
[edit] Racer to tester
Unable to find a race seat at a leading team for 2001, he took on the role of third (i.e., test) driver for McLaren.
In April 2005, with Juan Pablo Montoya injured, Wurz drove for McLaren in the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix, finishing fourth in the race, but taking third place after both BAR-Honda drivers were disqualified. This gave him a unique record. No other driver has had such a long gap between podiums. Wurz went eight years. His drive at Imola was all the more notable because he was still not comfortable in the car, and at times had to drive with one hand.
Since his signing to McLaren as test driver, Wurz had been eager to return to racing. At various times during this time he was linked in rumours to a return to a full race seat. His large size for a Formula One driver (186 cm/6'1) has perhaps been a factor that has not helped. In fact, because they were so sure he would be driving for Austrian-owned Red Bull Racing in 2005, the designers at McLaren neglected to allow for his size, meaning he could not physically fit in the car. In 2003 he was strongly linked to a race seat at Jaguar, where the under-fire Antônio Pizzonia was struggling. However, McLaren were struggling with their abortive new car and blocked the move to retain Alex's excellent technical and development skills. Jaguar then decided to give Pizzonia more time to prove himself, before drafting in Justin Wilson.
[edit] Williams
.jpg/230px-Alex_Wurz_2007_(crop).jpg)
Alexander Wurz signed a deal with Williams F1 to become the team's official test and reserve driver at the beginning of 2006. He drove the third car at all Grand Prix Fridays in 2006. It was announced on 3 August 2006 that Wurz would replace Mark Webber as a race driver at Williams for the 2007 season. This was Wurz's first full time race drive since 2000, and his team mate was Nico Rosberg. At the Monaco GP on 27 May 2007, Wurz scored his first points for the Williams F1 team, finishing in 7th place after qualifying 11th. He came 3rd for the 3rd time in his F1 career at the Canadian GP on 10 June 2007, staying out of trouble from 19th on the grid in an action packed race. He actually damaged his rear wing early on in the race, but battled against it and finished on the podium. He nearly repeated this at the European Grand Prix, but just didn't make it past Mark Webber at the final chicane. On October 8, 2007, Wurz announced his immediate retirement from Formula One, meaning that the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix was his final race.[3]
On October 8, 2007 the official Formula One website announced that "Williams driver Alexander Wurz has confirmed that he is to retire from Formula One racing with immediate effect".[4] Wurz himself also released a statement [5] saying "I would like to thank my family and fans, everyone at AT&T Williams and my previous teams, as well as the media, for all of their support during my Formula One racing career. I may race again, perhaps in Le Mans or other categories and certainly some of my time will now be committed to the very important subject of road safety." The 33-year old cited doubts over his own commitment as the main reason for his departure despite having a relatively successful season racing with Williams.
He was replaced by Williams test driver Kazuki Nakajima for the final race of the 2007 season in Brazil.[6]
[edit] Honda and Peugeot
On the 10th January 2008, it was announced that Wurz had signed as Honda F1 Test driver for the 2008 Formula One Season.[7] Wurz also signed with Peugeot to be part of their driving squad for the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, and will also participate in the 1000 km of Spa for the team.
[edit] Personal life
Wurz is married to Julia and has three sons, Charlie, Felix and Oscar (b. September 30, 2007).[8] He used to race with different coloured boots on each foot,[9] but since his return to racing in 2007, he wears matching pairs.
[edit] Racing record
[edit] Career summary
| Season | Series | Team Name | Races | Poles | Wins | Points | Final Placing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | German Formula Ford 1600 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 1st |
| 1993 | Austrian Formula Three | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 1st |
| German Formula Three | RSM Marko | 16 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 13th | |
| Masters of Formula Three | RSM Marko | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 17th | |
| 1994 | German Formula Three | G+M Escom Motorsport | 19 | 1 | 3 | 219 | 2nd |
| Macau Grand Prix | G+M Escom Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 15th | |
| Grand Prix de Monaco F3 | G+M Escom Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 10th | |
| Masters of Formula Three | G+M Escom Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 26th | |
| 1995 | German Formula Three | G+M Escom Motorsport | 15 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 6th |
| British Formula Three | G+M Escom Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 21st | |
| Macau Grand Prix | G+M Escom Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 7th | |
| Grand Prix de Monaco F3 | G+M Escom Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6th | |
| Masters of Formula Three | ? | 1 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | |
| 1996 | International Touring Car Championship | Opel Team Joest | 20 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 16th |
| Le Mans 24 Hours | Joest Racing (LMP1) | 1 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st | |
| 1997 | Formula One | Benetton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14th |
| FIA GT Championship | AMG Mercedes | 10 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 10th | |
| 1998 | Formula One | Benetton | 16 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 8th |
| 1999 | Formula One | Benetton | 16 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13th |
| 2000 | Formula One | Benetton | 17 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15th |
| 2001 | Formula One | McLaren | Test driver | ||||
| 2002 | Formula One | McLaren | Test driver | ||||
| 2003 | Formula One | McLaren | Test driver | ||||
| 2004 | Formula One | McLaren | Test driver | ||||
| 2005 | Formula One | McLaren | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 17th |
| 2006 | Formula One | Williams | Test driver | ||||
| 2007 | Formula One | Williams | 16 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 11th |
| 2008 | Formula One | Honda Racing F1 | Test driver | ||||
[edit] Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Note: From 2001 to 2004 : Test driver for Team McLaren, but not a part of the race weekends.
[edit] Facts
- Has an average of 7.5 points a season (1997–2000, 2005 and 2007).
- Average place in the World Drivers Championship is 13.4
[edit] References
- ^ Alex Wurz Homepage, Access: 2007-06-10
- ^ F1 Racing magazine, December 1997, pg 46
- ^ "Wurz confirms immediate retirement from F1", autosport.com, 2007-10-08. Retrieved on 2007-10-08.
- ^ "Wurz announces retirement from Formula One competition", formula1.com, 2007-10-08. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.
- ^ Wurz retirement statement
- ^ "Williams confirm Nakajima for Brazil", autosport.com, 2007-10-09. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.
- ^ "Wurz joins Honda as test & reserve driver", autosport.com, 2008-01-10.
- ^ Wurz is father for third time - Racing news and opinions - Auto123.com - Canadian automotive network
- ^ "Mind Games", btinternet.com, unknown. Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
[edit] External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Yannick Dalmas JJ Lehto Masanori Sekiya |
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1996 with: Manuel Reuter Davy Jones |
Succeeded by Michele Alboreto Stefan Johansson Tom Kristensen |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by Giancarlo Fisichella |
Lorenzo Bandini Trophy 1999 |
Succeeded by Jarno Trulli |
|
|||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Wurz, Alexander |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wurz, Alex |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | BMX rider, cyclist, racecar driver, formula driver, Formula One driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 15, 1974 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Waidhofen an der Thaya, Lower Austria, Austria |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
