Klien key to Red Bull Jag deal
Rising Austrian single-seater star Christian Klien could drive for Jaguar Racing in 2004 - if the Milton Keynes-based team wants to land the sought-after Red Bull sponsorship deal
Klien, 20, won this year's Marlboro Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort and finished runner-up to Toyota's F1 protégé Ryan Briscoe in the F3 Euroseries. According to AUTOSPORT sources, Red Bull is determined to place its young star into F1 as soon as possible, although it is understood that Jaguar would prefer to give him a testing role in 2004.
If that happened, it would leave the way clear for McLaren test driver Alexander Wurz to join the Big Cat alongside Mark Webber, with Klien driving on Fridays at grand prix weekends. It would then have the option to promote him to its race team in 2005.
When asked if Red Bull would commit to Jaguar, the energy drink's motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, a former grand prix driver himself, said: "It all depends. It will not be as title sponsor. It is down to the driver - Klien."
If this deal doesn't come off, Klien could find himself placed with either Jordan or Minardi.
"The second seat is a valuable asset we have and I want to make sure whoever fills it will be best for the team," said Jaguar's David Pitchforth on the subject. "He has to be a good driver first, fit with the team, fit with Mark and the engineers, understand the way we work and then other factors come into play too. We are not in a screaming rush but we are working very hard on it."
Wurz, meanwhile, recently claimed: "Jaguar has me at the top of their list and McLaren wants to keep me as their test driver."
Previous article
Button Praises Bahrain's F1 Circuit
Next article
Toyota Man Questioned over Alleged Spying
Verstappen v Hamilton: Who was at fault?
Formula 1: Sprint Qualifying analysis
Hungarian Grand Prix Driver Ratings
This was race that showcased the best and worst of Formula 1, producing a first time winner and a memorable comeback to a podium finish. Avoiding trouble at the start and astute strategy calls were key to success, but where some drivers took full advantage, others made key errors that cost them dearly
The “heart-breaking” call that led to Ocon’s Hungarian GP triumph
Set to restart the red-flagged Hungarian Grand Prix in second, Esteban Ocon had some doubts when he peeled into the pits to swap his intermediate tyres for slicks. But this "heart-breaking" call was vindicated in spectacular fashion as the Alpine driver staved off race-long pressure from Sebastian Vettel for a memorable maiden Formula 1 victory
The F1 champion who became an Indy king in his second career
Emerson Fittipaldi’s decision to go racing with his brother led to him falling out of F1, but he bloomed again on the IndyCar scene. NIGEL ROEBUCK considers a career of two halves
Why Mercedes is pleased to be in the Hungary hunt at a 'Red Bull track'
Mercedes ended Friday practice at the Hungaroring with a clear gap to Red Bull thanks to Valtteri Bottas’s pace in topping FP2. But there are other reasons why the Black Arrows squad feels satisfied with its progress so far at a track many Formula 1 observers reckon favours Red Bull overall
How Red Bull endured its second car crash in two weeks
OPINION: Red Bull was justified to be upset that Lewis Hamilton survived his British GP clash with Max Verstappen and went on to win. But its attempts to lobby the FIA to reconsider the severity of Hamilton's in-race penalty were always likely to backfire, and have only succeeded in creating a PR disaster that will distract from its on-track efforts
The ‘screaming’ F1 engine future that may not be out of reach
OPINION: It wasn't just the Verstappen/Hamilton clash that had the Red Bull and Mercedes bosses at loggerheads at Silverstone, with the nature of Formula 1's 2025 engines also subject for disagreement. But hopes to have loud, emotive engines that are also environmentally friendly don't have to be opposed
The drivers that need to strike gold before F1's summer break
OPINION: Formula 1 is about to break up for summer 2021, with the title battles finely poised. But it’s not just the latest round of Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton that will be worth watching this weekend in Hungary, as plenty of drivers are eying big results to change the stories of their seasons so far
How Lotus F1 uncovered, then squandered its last ‘unfair advantage’
Cast in the mould of its founder Colin Chapman, Lotus was powerful and daring but flawed – as it proved through further soaring peaks and painful troughs into the 1980s. DAMIEN SMITH examines a game-changing era
