Christian Klien

[gloomyDAY]

Is Klien worthy of a seat in F1? Are there better options, besides Force India, for Klien? If he lands a team, will he be successful in terms of aiding better results for his manufacturer?

Discuss your opinions.

[VkmSpouge]

I think Christian Klien is good enough a seat in F1 but if he's able to get one next year it'll be nowhere but Force India.

[Garry Walker]

Klien is a good driver, but drivers like Ralf, Fisi, Carroll are more deserving of a seat.

[jso1985]

in the way he was sacked by Red Bull, he clearly showed some commitment with F1 and clearly deserves another chance, even if it's in Force India

[CCFanatic]

in the way he was sacked by Red Bull, he clearly showed some commitment with F1 and clearly deserves another chance, even if it's in Force India

Yep. Instead of Doornbos or Jani, Red Bull wanted to send Klien to CCWS. I think he does, but by he does deserve a seat, I mean a test seat.

[jso1985]

just cuz he felt CC was a step back?

[CCFanatic]

just cuz he felt CC was a step back?

And now look at him. With probably the worst team in F1, and watching Doornbos challenge for wins nearly every week.

[Tazio]

I really like Klien. I'm not sure why, but ever since the way he stood his ground with Red Bull, and made a commitment to stay in F1 I've really been pulling for him.
I really hope he succeeds!

[millencolin]

I've always been a big big fan of Klien. He held his own against DC and i think was unfairly treated by Red Bull. But Liuzzi I feel also deserves a chance. Both these drivers were shunted by Red Bull and deserve a chance to prove themselves with a team thats not owned by an Austrian enery drink company. But there is only one seat available....

[leopard]

Alonso deserves more for the seat vacant, he is still unemployed now :(

[jas123f1]

Is Klien worthy of a seat in F1? Are there better options, besides Force India, for Klien? If he lands a team, will he be successful in terms of aiding better results for his manufacturer?

Discuss your opinions.

I would like to see him behind the wheel again, imo he is a good driver and hard working guy and absolutely worthy a seat. :)

[truefan72]

I've always been a big big fan of Klien. He held his own against DC and i think was unfairly treated by Red Bull. But Liuzzi I feel also deserves a chance. Both these drivers were shunted by Red Bull and deserve a chance to prove themselves with a team thats not owned by an Austrian enery drink company. But there is only one seat available....

:up:


I really like Klien. I'm not sure why, but ever since the way he stood his ground with Red Bull, and made a commitment to stay in F1 I've really been pulling for him.
I really hope he succeeds!

me too


Alonso deserves more for the seat vacant, he is still unemployed now :(

can we keep Alonso out of this thread please, it's about Klien, not your hero
thank you


I would like to see him behind the wheel again, imo he is a good driver and hard working guy and absolutely worthy a seat. :)

I was always partial to Klien, RBR did him wrong and I hope he vindicates himself with a good race seat.

[Valve Bounce]

It all depends how much $$$$$ they bring to the team. That's the reality in a back marker team in F1.

[Hawkmoon]

The only time I felt Klien stood out was his battle against Raikkonen at Indianapolis in 2004. The McLaren was useless but Klien's Jaguar was worse. He passed and was re-passed and passed again before finally succumbing to the Finn.

The rest of his career has been rather forgettable but that probably has more to do with poor machinery and bad management than a lack of talent. Force India could do a lot worse than the Austrian but I think Klien will need strong financial backing to get the seat.

If he does get the drive I think it'll be his last chance. If he comfortably beats Sutil then the bigger teams will keep him in mind. A loss to Sutil and it's goodbye F1.

[leopard]

can we keep Alonso out of this thread please, it's about Klien, not your hero
thank you

I don't have any objection about Klien, on the other hand in the event of any top teams vacant, watching him driving a fast car would be wonderful. I think we will have another version of Massa.

btw You are welcome, but my superhero was Robin.

[GP-M3]

I hope Liuzzi gets the ride, I've never been a Klien fan. The only thing he ever yacks on about is "the young guys this, and the young guys that, and hey I'm a young guy and the old guys are... " sheesh, he's not even that young anymore! LoL

[leopard]

I hope Liuzzi gets the ride, I've never been a Klien fan. The only thing he ever yacks on about is "the young guys this, and the young guys that, and hey I'm a young guy and the old guys are... " sheesh, he's not even that young anymore! LoL
I think he is young, younger than DC

[cy bais]

Klien's worthy of an F1 seat IMO

[leopard]

yeah, how sufficient authority he would have with the seat, I don't see any combination would work out if a popular trivial driver thing was seized up from him.

[jso1985]

And now look at him. With probably the worst team in F1, and watching Doornbos challenge for wins nearly every week.

Winning on a series he(and many more) thinks is a lesser one ;)

Klien won constantly in 2003, in 2004 he wasn't even close of a podium, at first sight looks like a step back... if we don't take count the series he was running at

[truefan72]

I don't have any objection about Klien, on the other hand in the event of any top teams vacant, watching him driving a fast car would be wonderful. I think we will have another version of Massa.

btw You are welcome, but my superhero was Robin.


cool

I always had a soft spot for batman :)

[SGWilko]

cool

I always had a soft spot for batman :)

Altogether now.....

Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin flew away,

da de dum, de dah de dum........... ;)

[Osella]

I'd say his best race was Monaco 2006...He was on course to finish 3rd before his car broke down, watching and hearing the team saying how great a result it was and Coulthard wearing that Superman cape was pretty bad, considering they didn't even mention how well Klien drove, ahead of DC nearly all race... And all the fuss was about how 'unlucky' Mark Webber was, losing 3rd place with a mechanical failure...

So yes, Klien deserves the drive, more so than IMO, Liuzzi or Fisi.

[leopard]

Altogether now.....

Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin flew away,

da de dum, de dah de dum........... ;)

Oh I was not talking about bird, it may cause the terrible flu ;)

I would really like to see him in a race seat for next year because he has the driving skill he just needs a good car the most likely place he will go is probobly Force India.

[jens]

When Christian joined F1 back in 2004, then I thought it was unfair, as he brought record amoung of money with him (something like 15 Million $ or what) and therefore blocked drivers like Heidfeld, Verstappen and Wilson from driving for Jaguar. So I got the impression that his early career in F1 was more thanks to the help of Red Bull than his own greatness.

Now the situation is different. He hasn't got a huge company backing him and if he manages to make it back into F1, it would be more down to himself than sponsors. We'll see, he has been doing well at shoot-out tests so far. I personally would prefer Liuzzi over Klien, although by a slight margin.

[Tazio]

It looks like Klien did some good work today. Good lap time. I hope he gets the seat

[gloomyDAY]

Klien! Yeah, his time was 7th fasest. You can't argue with results.

[truefan72]

I'd say his best race was Monaco 2006...He was on course to finish 3rd before his car broke down, watching and hearing the team saying how great a result it was and Coulthard wearing that Superman cape was pretty bad, considering they didn't even mention how well Klien drove, ahead of DC nearly all race... And all the fuss was about how 'unlucky' Mark Webber was, losing 3rd place with a mechanical failure...

So yes, Klien deserves the drive, more so than IMO, Liuzzi or Fisi.

completely agree, I remember that race well. And getting excited at the notion of his first podium. Then to see RBR act the way they did knowing full well that they DC only got 3rd place 'cause his teammate had to retire was laughable. At that point I knew that Klien was done at RBR. UIt seems like the Austrian company went out of its way to prove they didn't suffer from nationalism, and in doing so undermined a talented young driver.


It looks like Klien did some good work today. Good lap time. I hope he gets the seat


Klien! Yeah, his time was 7th fasest. You can't argue with results.

yes a good result

IMO he would do well at McClaren, but that's just wishful thinking

[Roamy]

I would like to see Klien go to McLaren. It won't happen because he would validate LH one way or the other.

So force India is fine. Beat Sutil and move one - but that will be a job in it's self. Also Klien could do a year at Renault if Alonso falters in signing.

[millencolin]

And all the fuss was about how 'unlucky' Mark Webber was, losing 3rd place with a mechanical failure...



OI... he was unluckly :p :

[RS]

Well so far Christian has been quickest Force India driver every day he has driven a test for them, but the competition is very strong for that seat.

[SGWilko]

Well so far Christian has been quickest Force India driver every day he has driven a test for them, but the competition is very strong for that seat.

I can forsee an Indian Driver in one of the cars........ ;)

[Osella]

OI... he was unluckly :p :

Yeah, he was for sure, but equally so was Klien ;) . Coulthard however...

[gloomyDAY]

I wonder when Force India is going to announce their last driver for the 2008 season. I hope Christian gets the seat, but the Italian Stallion will probably be favored.

Any thoughts?

Just hope FI can be a great team and go at the 2008 season with a lot of tenacity.

[keysersoze]

I wonder when Force India is going to announce their last driver for the 2008 season.

Reports are it will be January 11th.

[Tazio]

I wonder when Force India is going to announce their last driver for the 2008 season. I hope Christian gets the seat, but the Italian Stallion will probably be favored.

Any thoughts?

Just hope FI can be a great team and go at the 2008 season with a lot of tenacity.It appears to be a crap shoot. They have to be giving CK serious consideration.
No one has driven that car faster in practice!
I also think that FI will become a top 5 team within 2 seasons, and keep moving up from there.
This will eventually be a team to be reckoned with!

[Ranger]

Yeah, he was for sure, but equally so was Klien ;) . Coulthard however...
Yeah, Coulthard got pretty lucky that day. :p :

[Tazio]

So what happens to CK now? Does he still have a test seat at Honda?
I can't blame FI for going with who they did. I was really pulling for CK though!

[philipbain]

Christian Klien - a good driver no doubt but is merely being good good enough for F1? The answer should be no, F1 should be about fielding the 20 or so best drivers in the world in the best cars with the best backers, it's the top of the sport and as such it should be that way. Having said that there are other factors involved when teams select drivers (nationality, popularity in key markets, sponsorship support etc.) and these factors are what brought Christian Klien into F1 and will ultimately decide his fate in F1. He entered the sport in 2004 due to a great big golden carrot of Red Bull sponsorship cash which the Jaguar team, with declining manufacturer support from Ford, desperately needed in what was to ultimately be the team's last season in F1. His subsequent failure to retain Red Bull's backing after 2 seasons of F1 saw him demoted to a testing role at Honda and ultimately he took a gamble that failed to pay off by leaving Honda to pursue a Force India drive that he ultimately didnt get.

Will we see Klien in F1 again? Perhaps, but with more and more top line drivers on the scene and fewer opportunities than ever before i'm not even optimistic that he'll even pick up a test role. These days you need to have one of the main factors (nationality, marketability, sponsor backing etc.) behind you and be very good, or be an absolute top drawer talent in order to get by in F1, I feel that some drivers are likely to get left behind as a result, Klien being amongst them.

[woody2goody]

There's no doubt in my mind that Klien deserves another chance in F1. I think he's better than Mark Webber so it mystified me when they signed him and ditched Klien. Heck, they could have even had Liuzzi.

Klien has had some shocking luck at Red Bull. I thought maybe Honda could have got him to replace Barrichello, even though I like Rubens a lot.

I'm sure Christian will be back, and his Force India testing pace will not have gone unnoticed by other teams.

[Osella]

I'm sure Christian will be back, and his Force India testing pace will not have gone unnoticed by other teams.

Sadly, I think you are completely wrong.. If you were right, Allan McNish would have been signed up in 1994, Kenny Brack and Gil De Ferran would have been F1 drivers, Franck Montagny would not be jobless and Nicola Larini would have more than 1 solitary podium... Unfortunately, I think the only way Christian can make it back is to take off to America and become a 4-time CART champion ;) Or win everything going in sportscars...

[woody2goody]

As much as I think McNish Larini, etc, should have been given chances, Klien is better than them all, and was just maturing into a very good driver when he was ditched by RBR. The same happened with Speed, even though he isn't probably as good as Christian.

I hate the fact that F1 seems to suddenly ditch people without giving them the chance.

Pizzonia was ditched by Jag, even though he proved with Williams he could be a top F1 driver, Justin Wilson also by the same team.

Giorgio Pantano, Tiago Monteiro cast aside by Midland/Jordan. Montiero had done much more for that team than Albers, and he wouldn't have lost his job against Sutil so quickly like Albers did.

Villeneuve at BMW. They replaced him for not a very good reason and were surprised when he didn't take too kindly to it. He would have scored podiums last season i'm sure.

Klien will be back, it is just a question of when.

[SGWilko]

Villeneuve at BMW. They replaced him for not a very good reason and were surprised when he didn't take too kindly to it. He would have scored podiums last season i'm sure.

Klien will be back, it is just a question of when.

Uh oh, you've done it now....

You'll have half the forum baying for your blood now.

You are not allowed to mention Villeneuve and BMW in the same post, it upsets them y'know. ;)

[woody2goody]

He he. Whoops.

I haven't been here for a while before this week is it a sore point then lol?

[Tazio]

The road is strewn with dudes that almost, and probably could of, or should have made the big show. You have to step over and drive around them there are so many. This is true in every profesional sport. The reasons are many, and varied. Klien did make the "Big Show". Alot of times the real reason some desrving prospects don't, just comes down to demographics. Not being in the right place at the right time. Getting a late start in their disapline because the adults in their life were unaware or had chosen a different path for them.
The french are fond of saying "c'est la vie" (only spelled correctly)

[Osella]

As much as I think McNish Larini, etc, should have been given chances, Klien is better than them all... Montiero had done much more for that team than Albers, and he wouldn't have lost his job against Sutil so quickly like Albers did.

Klien will be back, it is just a question of when.

Ok, are we talking about the same Allan McNish here? He was much closer to Benetton's top driver on pace (a certain Michael Schumacher) in testing than some of his team-mates, he was excellent in F3000, and has proved to be probably the best sportscar driver in the world since 1999 bar Tom Kristensen. Much as I like Christian, I don't think he is better than McNish.

And Monteiro would have lost his job just as quickly if his money had run out just as quickly... Let's not kid ourselves here. Trust me, if you remember Larini, Fittipaldi, Tarquini, Lamy or Zanardi racing in the early 90's you will know things just don't work that way. Each of those guys showed great results and some stunning speed, but only Zanardi and Tarquini came back to F1 after they were dropped. (Larini was only e test driver before he got his Sauber drive, after that...nothing). Tarquini was a one-off for Tyrrell and Zanardi was a double CART champion. Just look at Bourdais now.

Unless he wins a couple (or five) of CART titles, or a new manufacturer brings him back, I do not think he will be back in F1 other than as a tester sadly.
What he should do is go to Frank Williams and push for a drive as Wurz's replacement, then he can step in if Nakajima is unsatisfactory.. However, they have Hulkenberg, so yet another door closes...

[woody2goody]

I've only been watching F1 for 12 years so I'm not sure about Fittipaldi, Tarquini, Zanardi (apart from '99). I heard about McNish's pace back in the early '90s, and he sounded very impressive back then. Even his race/testing pace of '02/'03 was good, but Klien is probably a better racer in an F1 car. I'm a fan of McNish, but there's something about Klien that shows me he's got what it takes to be very good. And to outpace R Schumacher, Fisi and Liuzzi isn't a bad thing.

The thing about Albers is that even though the official reason for his release was sponsorship problems, he was losing his drive on the stopwatch in reality. If he was beating the living daylights out of Sutil on the track then I don't think Spyker would have sacked him for the money issues.

I think Monteiro is quicker than Albers and so probably would have kept his drive for longer.

And yes, Klien isn't the only one who's been hard done by, but he's not even 25, with almost 50 GPs under his belt, and a full season's testing. He's worth picking up as he can still be considered a long-term prospect.

[gearhead250gto]

Klien is a good driver, but drivers like Ralf, Fisi, Carroll are more deserving of a seat.


Well, you might have had a point with Carroll, but please tell me you're joking with the others. Fisi is a good guy, but he's at the twilight of his career and Ralf is a guy getting by on his last name. Klein is still a kid and he proved in his second season in F1 that he has the speed and potential to be a solid driver in a decent team. Ralf showed us how dissapointing a driver can be in a top team.

Oh well, I would have liked to see Klein get the seat. He really seemed to be maturing into a solid driver when he was given the boot.

[ioan]

and Ralf is a guy getting by on his last name.

He managed to win 6 races, more than a guy who's last name is Montoya (whom people were expecting to become a F1 WDC!). Not bad for "a guy getting by on his last name". :rolleyes:

[ArrowsFA1]

He managed to win 6 races, more than a guy who's last name is Montoya
Montoya outscores Ralf in almost any category you may care to mention - wins, podiums, poles, front row, fastest laps, GP's led, laps led - in half the number of races (94 v 180)

[woody2goody]

If Montoya had remained in F1 he would have probably won more races, I mean if he had stayed with McLaren last season he probably would have won a couple.

I like Juan and I hope he does well this season and makes it into the Chase.

About Ralf, he just seems disinterested and it's probably right that he's buggered off. At least if he comes back in a year's time he may have fresh motivation, I dunno.

[ioan]

Montoya outscores Ralf in almost any category you may care to mention - wins, podiums, poles, front row, fastest laps, GP's led, laps led - in half the number of races (94 v 180)

Montoya only drove in Top machinery in F1, unlike Ralf who drove for Jordan, for Williams when they were far from title contenders and for Toyota who were never close enough to the top! :rolleyes:

Ralf did well in F1, so good that JPM decided to leave Williams for McLaren after Ralf beat him in France 2003, and he's good results were achieved on the track and not because of his name.

[ioan]

If Montoya had remained in F1 he would have probably won more races.

And IF pigs had wings then they would fly! :rolleyes:


I mean if he had stayed with McLaren last season he probably would have won a couple.

You mean if the team would have kept him.
On the other hand he might be happier not being involved in the mess McLaren made last season.

I liked JPM's way in F3000 and CART but he was over hyped in F1, and often his fanatics are the ones that attack RS. I wonder why is that?!

[Osella]

Montoya outscores Ralf in almost any category you may care to mention - wins, podiums, poles, front row, fastest laps, GP's led, laps led - in half the number of races (94 v 180)



Statistics on a page or a website are just that - statistics. They provide no background as to the many, many different factors involved in making up those numbers, just as points in the final WDC standings tell you nothing about how those points were won...

Statistics and opinions matter, but taking either one in isolation will never give you as full a picture as the two together

;) Be careful what you say huh? :p
And can we remember this thread is about Christian Klien!...
Jeez, I have to put up with enough Montoya watching NASCAR this season, enough already! At least nobody in America cares about him, hehe ;)

So, general consensus being; Klien back in F1, not so likely...

[ArrowsFA1]

;) Be careful what you say huh? :p
And can we remember this thread is about Christian Klien!...
Absolutely :up: On both counts :)

[gm99]

The latest news on Klien is that he will be taking part in yet another shoot-out against Ralf Schumacher, this time for the remaining DTM seat at Mercedes. I think he could do worse than become part of the Mercedes family, as they usually are rather loyal to their drivers and a good performance in the DTM might even lead to another F1 engagement, like it did with Albers and Paffett (who probably would have gotten a Prodrive seat if their F1 project had come to fruition).

[ShiftingGears]

There's no doubt in my mind that Klien deserves another chance in F1. I think he's better than Mark Webber so it mystified me when they signed him and ditched Klien. Heck, they could have even had Liuzzi.

Klien has had some shocking luck at Red Bull. I thought maybe Honda could have got him to replace Barrichello, even though I like Rubens a lot.

I'm sure Christian will be back, and his Force India testing pace will not have gone unnoticed by other teams.

As I remember him Klien was slower than Coulthard, but still decent. Webber on the other hand was consistently faster than Coulthard throughout 2007 in qualifying and race pace. Despite his shocking luck ;)

[Ranger]

I think he's better than Mark Webber so it mystified me when they signed him and ditched Klien.

First of all I'd like you to tell me who was in all facets the better driver at Jaguar in 2004 out of those two.

[Osella]

First of all I'd like you to tell me who was in all facets the better driver at Jaguar in 2004 out of those two.

Difficult to tell you who's better when you consider one driver knew the tracks and had a year of F1 under his belt and had raced in F3000; and the other had just F3 experience and was new to F1 and didn't know all the tracks ;)

[ASCAR24/7/365.5]

just read in the times this morning that cristian kelin has been called up by the swiss army for 6 months....whats this mean for his career?

[ASCAR24/7/365.5]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article3207270.ece scroll to 1/2 way down

[Juppe]

I hope that he'll get enough publicity so that people start to spell his name right... ;)

[janneppi]

Or the right country in which he has to serve. ;)
He's Austrian, not a Swiss.
Serving for 6 months shouldn't really be a problem for his career, at least it hasn't hurt Heikki or Kimi, altough they were smart enough to do it before their F1 careers.

[gloomyDAY]

Have you ever heard of a search? (http://www.motorsportforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123182&highlight=christian)

I'm sure CK can get around it.

[janneppi]

Merged the two threads. :)

[gloomyDAY]

I bet Force India is kicking themselves after overlooking Klien.

Sutil keeps slamming into competitors on the first lap.
Fisi took a sightseeing trip over Nakajima over the weekend.

What do you guys think?

[Tazio]

I bet Force India is kicking themselves after overlooking Klien.

Sutil keeps slamming into competitors on the first lap.
Fisi took a sightseeing trip over Nakajima over the weekend.

What do you guys think?I've always liked Klien!
And, you make a good point in retrospect. Even though it looked like he earned the seat in testing.
It's hard to say how competitive he would be from the back of the grid and without TC.
He's got a pretty good gig right now! I'm not hoping for it, but one little injury, and he'll be driving a Beamer.
Asmer is in line after him.
Well, maybe not any more. :p :