BMW Sauber F1 Team
Driver Profile: Christian Klien

Standing behind Robert and Nick is the third driver in the team's equation. When asked about his role as the test and reserve driver, Austrian-born Christian Klien adopts a cool and slightly cheeky response. An amiable character around the Formula One paddock, we discover what makes CK tick.

The third man
What does a test and reserve driver get up to during a race weekend while his team colleagues are battling it out on the track? It’s a question Christian Klien answers with a mischievous smile and another question: “How long have you got?” According to the Austrian, who turned 26 in February, “Some people think a test driver spends the whole weekend sitting in the sun, hoping one of the drivers will eat something that disagrees with him. The reality today though is that there’s so much going on during a race weekend that it takes three fully qualified Formula One drivers to handle it all – at least if you mean business.”

Christian Klien, who has already spent three years as a Formula One race driver, has long since got used to his role. “For me, it doesn’t make much difference if I come to a grand prix weekend as a race driver or as a test driver for the BMW Sauber F1 team. I train just as intensively either way, and mentally as well I have to be as strong as the other two. Because you never know what’s going to happen – and when you’ll be called on to show you’re a professional. If you have to stand in for somebody and are not prepared, or not physically fit, things can go horribly wrong.”

In his native Vorarlberg in Austria, Klien spends every spare minute working on his fitness. His personal coach makes sure that the training programme is as varied as possible. “We go mountain biking and skiing, and I train on the ergometer, or sharpen my balance with an ingenious exercise programme. After all, as a Formula One driver all your senses come into play.” Top scores in the fitness check, which a team of coaches carry out on the drivers several times a year; confirm that Klien is in tip-top condition.

Always ready for action.
Every race weekend brings an intensive schedule of technical briefings and debriefings, meetings with the media and strategy discussions. On the Thursday before the race, the first meetings with the tyre firm and the engineers are held. Other fixtures include initial interviews with newspapers and television, and team meetings to cover all the bases for the coming weekend. There’s also the ritual of walking the track and identifying every bump or irregularity.

Klien, like the two race drivers, is involved in all these various processes. And when the first practice session starts, he’s there in the pits listening in on the team radio. Few working days are less than twelve hours, and often it’s more. And right up to the start of qualifying practice, the reserve driver has to be ready to jump in and take over from a regular driver at a moment’s notice. A spare helmet, overalls and seat shell are always laid out ready.

Factbox: Christian Klien