Klien set for 2010 race cockpit return
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| Christian Klien |
"Peter Sauber said that there have been worse problems to solve in his career," Klien commented on his website. "The team has proved more than once what they can achieve with limited resources; the spirit of the people is just great and the times of unlimited budgets are over anyway – with all this brilliant human capital in Hinwil I see no reason why they should not be able to build a very competitive racing car for 2010."
Christian, now 26, is still unable to state whether or not he will be one of the team's drivers. "At the moment, this is pure speculation as the overall situation is still too unclear," he admitted. "How I can contribute at this point is by staying super fit to the maximum and being prepared, just like I trained on my bicycle in the heat every day while I was on holiday. Also, I can collect as much data as possible for the development department when we go straight-line testing and the endurance car races like those at Sebring, Spa or Le Mans help a lot to keep my neck and my reflexes in shape."
Klien did reveal, however, that a number of F1 teams have already been in touch this year. "There have been requests throughout the season," he recalled. "In F1 everything is always on the move; the new teams are very interested in drivers with experience but a certain long-term perspective – at only 26 and now in my sixth F1 season, I think I can offer both.
"Also, the established teams are looking around for new drivers at the moment – a few drivers are on the way out or changing teams; despite those requests that I have received, the team from Hinwil would be my first choice – the technical resources are great and the passion for racing fits very well with my idea of an F1 team."
07/24/09 (GMM) Christian Klien on Friday confirmed he is hoping to return to a formula one race cockpit in 2010.
The 26-year-old Austrian, who lost his Red Bull seat in 2006 and moved to Honda as a tester, has been Swiss-based BMW's reserve driver for the past two seasons.
Reports recently suggested Klien's contract with the German squad guarantees him a full race seat by 2010.
While that seems to be wide of the mark, he did admit at the Hungaroring that moving into the race seat next year is a contractual possibility.
"Just being a test driver is not really my thing," he said in an interview with the news agency APA in Hungary.
"The next step is to be racing again. I took the test driving job because of that prospect."
Klien added that the new teams for 2010 – Campos, Manor and USF1 – might also be among his options.
"With my three years of race experience in formula one, I could be a good choice for next season," he said.
07/14/09 (GMM) Christian Klien's contract means he could make his return to the formula one grid next year at BMW-Sauber.
The 26-year-old Austrian, who lost his Red Bull seat in 2006 and moved to Honda as a tester, has been Swiss-based BMW's reserve driver for the past two seasons.
The Austrian news source Vorarlberg Online believes his contract with the German squad guarantees him a full race seat by 2010.
The vol.at website also believes Klien would replace Nick Heidfeld, who has admitted he is in talks regarding his future with other teams.
Klien commented: "It is far too early to talk about the driver market."