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Kling to Frentzen - Germany's unsung Grand Prix heroes

With BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld, Williams’ Nico Rosberg, Toyota’s Timo Glock, Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel and Force India’s Adrian Sutil all preparing for their home Grand Prix this weekend, fans at Hockenheim will be spoilt for choice with countrymen to support. Since the inaugural Formula One world championship in 1950, 41Germans have raced on home soil, by far the most successful being Michael Schumacher. Over his 16-year career, the seven-time world champion competed in 15 German Grands Prix at Hockenheim (as well as 10 European Grands Prix at the Nurburgring). Three retirements aside - in 1994, 2000 and 2001 - Schumacher never failed to finish in the points at Hockenheim. Even in 1992, his debut season, he took third, and a year later he was up to second. Then, in 1995, he became the first German to win the German Grand Prix after being handed the lead courtesy of Damon Hill’s first-corner crash in the Williams. Schumacher went on to win his home Grand Prix on a further three occasions - in 2002, 2004 and 2006 - each time for Ferrari. The only other man to do the same is Michael’s younger brother Ralf, who in 2001 was gifted victory after the engine of his Williams team mate Juan-Pablo Montoya failed. However, German drivers had already built up a rich history of success - and failure - on home soil prior to the Schumacher era. We remember some of the most notable successes - and reflect on those drivers who came close to realizing their dreams but ultimately left empty handed… Karl Kling Best result: 1954 German Grand Prix, Qualified: 20th, Finished: 4th A native of Giessen in East Germany, Kling was in his maiden season and competing for German manufacturers Mercedes-Benz when he enjoyed home success. Although team mate Juan Manuel Fangio won the ’54 Nurburgring race, it was Kling’s impressive drive that is still widely remembered. Storming through the field from 20th on the grid, Kling finished fourth and also set the fastest lap of the race. He went on to compete for Mercedes in 1955, but never again raced a Formula One car on home soil. Wolfgang von Trips Best result: 1961 German Grand Prix, Qualified: 5th, Finished: 2nd In 1961, Von Trips went one step beyond Kling and became the first German to score a podium place in his home Grand Prix. Driving for Ferrari at the Nurburgring, the aristocrat climbed from fifth on the grid to claim second place behind Lotus’s Stirling Moss. Having already won two Grands Prix that season, Von Trips’ German success boosted his title hopes and he subsequently arrived at Italy’s season finale with the championship in his grasp. However, a collision with Jim Clark’s Lotus on the second lap at Monza left Von Trips dead and Germany without a hero. American team mate Phil Hill went on to win the race and the title, with a one-point advantage over Von Trips. Jochen Mass Best result: 1976 German Grand Prix, Qualified: 9th, Finished: 3rd Fifteen years after Von Trips’ success, German fans finally got to celebrate another home podium, courtesy of Mass, who finished third for McLaren at the Nurburgring in 1976. The Cologne-born driver was beaten by team mate James Hunt and the second-placed Tyrrell of Jody Scheckter, though the race is perhaps best remembered as the Grand Prix in which Austrian Niki Lauda suffered a near-fatal crash. Mass, however, wasn’t the only German to score at the ’76 race. Brabham driver Rolf Stommelen secured his sole point of the season after finishing sixth. Hans Joachim Stuck Best result: 1977 German Grand Prix, Qualified: 5th, Finished: 3rd Just a year after Mass’s success, compatriot Stuck put Germany back on the podium, the race having now moved to Hockenheim following Lauda’s Nurburgring accident. Grainau-born Stuck qualified fifth for Brabham and went on to claim third in the race - behind the victorious Ferrari of Niki Lauda and the Wolf of Jody Scheckter - following Hunt’s premature retirement on Lap 33. Stuck would contest a further two German Grands Prix, but retired from both with technical issues. Manfred Winkelhock Best result: Did not finish Winkelhock graced the Formula One grid for four seasons during the 1980s, competing in three German Grands Prix - of which he failed to finish a single one. In his first, in 1982, he retired with clutch issues in his ATS. In his second, in 1983, he was one of three drivers who failed to qualify. In his third, in 1984 he made it to the starting grid, albeit in 13th, but his ATS succumbed once again to gearbox difficulties. Winkelhock’s final German Grand Prix was the 1985 event at the Nurburgring. It did not go quite to plan with a 22nd-place grid slot and another retirement. Sadly it would be his last Formula One event, as soon after he was killed while racing in a Canadian sportscar event. Last year Manfred’s son Markus brought the Winklehock name back to Formula One with a bang, when he led the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring for Spyker. Stefan Bellof Best result: 1985 German Grand Prix, Qualified: 19th, Finished: 8th Thirty-one years after the success of fellow Giessen-born driver Karl Kling, Bellof attempted to emulate his predecessor at the German Grand Prix. However, in his second season with Tyrrell, Bellof had enjoyed only limited success in the preceding rounds and at the Nurburgring could only muster eighth place, in a race won by Ferrari’s Michele Alboreto. The one saving grace for Bellof was that he finished three laps up on Tyrrell team mate Martin Brundle. Christian Danner Best result: Did not finish Despite competing in three German Grands Prix during his four season-long Formula One career, Danner never once finished the race. His first appearance driving for Arrows in 1986 ended in retirement, as did his second with Zakspeed in ’87. Left without a drive in 1988, he made a return to Hockenheim the following season but failed to qualify in the seriously uncompetitive Rial. Heinz-Harald Frentzen Best result: 1999 German Grand Prix, Qualified: 2nd, Finished: 3rd During his Formula One career, Frentzen was largely overshadowed by compatriot Schumacher. But at the 1999 German event it was Heinz-Harald, and not Michael who enjoyed the cheers of the home fans when he claimed a well-deserved podium for Jordan. Schumacher, still recovering from a broken leg he sustained in a crash at Silverstone earlier in the year, was absent from the race and Frentzen finished third behind the Ferraris of Eddie Irvine and (Schumacher stand-in) Mika Salo. It would be his only notable success at Hockenheim.   BDV-676792-BDV

Kubica to drive himself to Bandini Ceremony

Just a week before he races around the Monaco streets, Robert Kubica will be getting into an urban frame of mind this Sunday when he drives a BMW Sauber Formula One car the 11 kilometres from Faenza to Brisighella in Italy to pick up the Lorenzo Bandini trophy.

Kubica was chosen as the recipient of this year’s award following his strong 2007 performances and winning such a tradition-rich trophy means a lot to the 23-year-old Pole: "This is a big honour for me, and it comes as a surprise given the rather disappointing season I had in 2007. It's great that some people seem to believe in me and my abilities.

“I am particularly pleased that this award also has to do with my 'performance' off the race track - and that attitudes and actions that I don't really stop to think about have earned me an award like this. I'm really looking forward to the drive, too. That will be the icing on the cake!"

Kubica isn't the only BMW Sauber team member to be honoured at the event - Peter Sauber will be picking up a trophy too, for his lifetime achievements.

Fast starters or backmarkers? The 2008 story so far…

Fast starters or backmarkers? The 2008 story so far…

With the first three flyaway races complete, the teams finally have a chance to catch their breath, regroup and get in some much-needed testing before the start of the ‘European season’ in Spain later this month.

But who has used Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain to lay down firm foundations for their 2008 campaigns? And who heads back to base with even more work to do than expected? We look at all 11 teams to see who has defied pre-season expectations. In Part One - places 11 to six in the table…


Super Aguri, 11th, 0 points
Best result: 15th, Best qualifying: 20th
Given the uncertainty that surrounded their future immediately prior to the start of the season, just making it to the first three races must be seen as something of an achievement for the Japanese team. They have actually managed quite a lot more, despite the lack of testing and shortage of spares. They’ve got both cars to the finish on two occasions (something only four other teams can claim); in Australia and Malaysia, Takuma Sato ensured they didn’t start from the back row of the grid; and at Sepang and Sakhir they weren’t the last team name in the race classification. On top of that, in Bahrain Davidson set the 14th fastest race lap.

However, there are clear signs that Super Aguri’s problems aren't quite over yet. The deal with the Magma Group announced a month ago has yet to be finalised and as a result practice laps have been restricted and the team will not be present at next week’s Barcelona test. One can only hope that by the Spanish Grand Prix everything will be in place and that Aguri Suzuki’s men can once more press ahead with their development programme.


Force India, 10th, 0 points
Best result: 12th, Best qualifying: 17th
Force India have surprised many with their early progress following last year’s buyout of the former Spyker squad by the Vijay Mallya-led consortium. Their declared aim at the opening races was to stay clear of the back row of the grid and then target Q2. They haven’t quite made it yet, but they have come desperately close - in both Malaysia and Bahrain Giancarlo Fisichella missed the cut by less than a tenth of a second. Race pace has been strong at times too, allowing Fisichella to make life difficult for the likes of Honda, and to set the 11th fastest race lap in Bahrain.

Indeed, the former Renault star seems to be flourishing in his new role. In contrast, Adrian Sutil, who many had tipped to beat Fisichella, has so far failed to shine, though largely through no fault of his own. Hydraulic issues accounted for the German’s demise at the first two races, while in Bahrain an accident on lap one wrecked his chances from the outset. It is, of course, early days. The important thing is that Mallya’s carefully targeted investments already look to be paying dividends for the Silverstone-based team.

Honda, 9th, 0 points
Best result: 10th, Best qualifying: 9th
Pundits had predicted a woeful start to the 2008 season for Honda, despite the arrival of new team principal Ross Brawn. And admittedly it hasn’t been great - zero points from three races - but there have been signs of light at the end of the tunnel. Reliability has been good and qualifying pace has been steadily improving. After narrowly missing out on Q3 in Australia and Malaysia, they eventually made it in Bahrain, with Jenson Button clinching ninth on the grid.

They have shown speed in races too - Button set the fourth fastest lap at Sepang - but luck hasn’t been on their side. Rubens Barrichello was disqualified in Australia after he was forced to pit for fuel under the safety car, while Button has twice crashed out. As a result, the latter’s 10th place in Malaysia is their best result to date, but at least points are looking increasingly probable.

Toro Rosso, 8th, 2 points
Best result: 7th, Best qualifying: 10th
Pre-season Toro Rosso were talking of the reliability benefits they would gain from starting their campaign with last year’s car. It is perhaps ironic then that only once has an STR2B been running at the chequered flag, with Sebastien Bourdais’ 15th place in Bahrain. To be fair, accidents have accounted for three of the team’s DNFs, and there have also been engine / hydraulic problems with their Ferrari V8s. On the plus side, Bourdais scored two points on his Formula One debut in Australia, finishing seventh in the final classification despite his car expiring three laps from home.

As he predicted would happen, Bourdais initially struggled with qualifying. His more experienced (in F1 terms) team mate Sebastian Vettel was the clear leader in the opening two rounds (he even made Q3 in Melbourne), though the Frenchman edged ahead in Bahrain. But with pair failing to make it past lap one on three occasions, judging the team’s form is going to have to wait for their fortunes to improve. The new car is on the way - it got its first shakedown in Italy recently in the hands of Red Bull junior team member Brendon Hartley - but a race debut has yet to be confirmed. Away from the track, Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz’s decision to sell his half of the team hit the headlines, but given that it won’t be until 2010, the immediate impact should be minimal.

Red Bull, 7th, 4 points
Best result: 7th, Best qualifying: 8th
Red Bull look to have put their 2007 reliability issues firmly behind them with the RB4. As a result they have scored four more points than they had at the same time last year, and it might have been more had it not been for a couple of costly accidents. David Coulthard’s run-in with Massa in Australia and another off during practice in Malaysia prompted stewards to examine the safety of the Red Bull’s front suspension. It was eventually given the all-clear, but it was not the kind of attention the team were hoping for.

Since then form has been pretty consistent - seventh places for Mark Webber at Sepang and Sakhir, and a ninth for Coulthard in Malaysia. So far, though, the RB4 seems to be lacking some of the outright speed of its predecessor. In Bahrain, neither driver made Q3 for the first time since last September’s Italian Grand Prix. Nevertheless, they do seem to have closed the gap on engine suppliers Renault, even if Toyota - a team they beat soundly in last year’s final standings - have pulled away somewhat.

Renault, 6th, 6 points
Best result: 4th, Best qualifying: 9th
From champions in 2005 and 2006, Renault went to ‘best of the rest’ last year behind Ferrari and BMW Sauber, and this season it seems they have taken another step down the ladder, even with the return of Fernando Alonso. After an encouraging fourth place in Australia, the Spaniard has since struggled to challenge for points, let alone podiums. Rookie team mate Nelson Piquet has recovered admirably from a disastrous debut in Australia - 20th on the grid, DNF - but it could be a while yet before the R28 allows the Brazilian to get on the scoreboard.

Renault have admitted they are still playing catch-up after their ’07 aero problems and as a result Williams and Toyota have both edged ahead. For the moment, fourth in the championship must be Renault’s target, though even that could prove tough if improvements scheduled for the start of the European season don’t bear significant fruit. The consolation? We should at least get to see some battling drives from Alonso along the way - and find out whether Piquet really has what it takes to follow in his father’s footsteps.