Christian Klien

Early career

Born in Hohenems, in the Austrian Alps, Klien decided to start karting and decided to become a Formula One driver after meeting Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna at a race. From 1996 to 1998, Klien won several kart races in both Switzerland and Austria, becoming the Suisse champion in his first year. In 1999, Klien moved to racing in the Formula BMW ADAC Junior Cup, winning four races and finishing fourth in the series. The following year, he moved into the main Formula BMW ADAC Championship with Team Rosberg, finishing the series ranked tenth overall and third in the rookie rankings. Continuing in the series in 2001, Klien managed to win five races, and ended up third in the series. Joining JD Motorsport for the Italian winter Formula Renault series, he won one event, leading to a drive for the team in German Formula Renault for 2002. Klien won four races, winning the German title, and finishing fifth in the European series. From there, Klien moved into the Formula 3 Euroseries, with Mucke Motorsport, winning four races and finishing runner-up in the title to 2004 Toyota F1 test driver Ryan Briscoe. Klien also won the 2003 Marlboro Masters event at Zandvoort.

Related Topics:
Hohenems - Alps - Karting - Brazilian - Ayrton Senna - 1996 - 1998 - Switzerland - 1999 - 2001 - 2002 - 2004 - Toyota F1 - Ryan Briscoe - 2003 - Zandvoort

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