Alexander Wurz | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wurz at the2016 24 Hours of Le Mans | |
| Born | Alexander Georg Wurz (1974-02-15)15 February 1974 (age 51) Waidhofen an der Thaya, Lower Austria, Austria |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, includingCharlie andOscar |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Austrian |
| Active years | 1997–2000,2005,2007 |
| Teams | Benetton,McLaren,Williams |
| Entries | 69 (69 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 3 |
| Careerpoints | 45 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| First entry | 1997 Canadian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2007 Chinese Grand Prix |
| FIA World Endurance Championship career | |
| Years active | 2012–2015 |
| Teams | Toyota |
| Starts | 28 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 5 |
| Podiums | 12 |
| Poles | 8 |
| Best finish | 3rd in2012(LMP1) |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1996,2008–2015 |
| Teams | Joest,Peugeot,Toyota |
| Best finish | 1st(1996,2009) |
| Class wins | 2(1996,2009) |
Alexander Georg Wurz (German pronunciation:[ˌalɛˈksandɐˈɡeː.ɐ̯kvʊʁt͡s]; born 15 February 1974) is an Austrian formerracing driver,motorsport executive and businessman, who competed inFormula One between1997 and2007.[a] Inendurance racing, Wurz is atwo-time winner of the24 Hours of Le Mans in1996 and2009 withJoest andPeugeot, respectively.
Amongst severaltest driver roles, Wurz competed at 69 Grands Prix across six seasons withBenetton,McLaren, andWilliams; he achieved three podiums. Since his retirement, he has been acommentator for television, as well as chairman of theGrand Prix Drivers' Association.[1] and occasionally a driver steward.
Alexander Georg Wurz was born on 15 February 1974 inWaidhofen an der Thaya, Lower Austria. He is the second son of formerrallycross driver Franz Wurz, who won theEuropean Rallycross Championship in 1974, 1976 and 1982. Wurz competed in cycling events in his youth, and won theBMX World Championship in 1986 at the age of 12.[citation needed]
Like mostFormula One drivers, Wurz's motorsport career began withkarting. In 1991, Wurz drove inFormula Ford. In 1993, he switched to theGerman Formula Three Championship. During his time in Formula 3, Wurz crashed out of the lead at a race atAVUS in 1995 after a collision with thesafety car.[2] From 1996, Wurz drove anOpel Calibra for theJoest Racing touring car team in theDTM. Also in 1996, Wurz, together withDavy Jones andManuel Reuter, won theLe Mans 24 Hours and in so doing became the youngest ever winner of the 24-hour race, a record he still holds.[3]
Wurz's Formula One debut was on 15 June 1997 atMontreal forBenetton filling in forfellow AustrianGerhard Berger, who could not race due to illness.[4] Wurz achieved a podium position in his third race (1997 British Grand Prix) before returning to being a test driver upon Berger's return to the cockpit at theGerman Grand Prix, which Berger won.
Wurz was given a full-time race seat for the 1998 season with Benetton and spent three more seasons at the team, partnered each year byGiancarlo Fisichella. In 1998, he outscored Fisichella by one point to finish joint 7th in the driver's championship together withHeinz-Harald Frentzen. At the1998 Monaco Grand Prix, he was running second ahead ofMichael Schumacher for a brief period, but his hopes of a podium finish were ruined when Schumacher collided with him when tried to pass at Loews hairpin. The collision broke his suspension, causing him to spin off and crash at the Nouvelle Chicane exiting the tunnel.
The1999 season was a disappointment for both drivers with the uncompetitiveB199 (although Fisichella scored a podium in Canada). In the 2000 season, Wurz scored points only at theItalian Grand Prix, while Fisichella scored podium finishes three times. For 2001, Benetton's last season before its transformation intoRenault, he was replaced withJenson Button.
In2001, Wurz was atest driver forMcLaren. In2002, he was almost promoted as race driver to replaceMika Häkkinen, but he remained as test driver afterKimi Räikkönen took over.
In April 2005, withJuan Pablo Montoya injured, Wurz drove for McLaren in the2005 San Marino Grand Prix, finishing fourth in the race, but taking third place after bothBAR-Honda drivers were disqualified. This gave him the record for the longest interval between podium finishes at eight years.
Since signing to McLaren as test driver, Wurz had been eager to return to racing. At various times, rumours linked him to a return to a full race seat. In2003 he was strongly linked to a race seat at Jaguar, where the under-fireAntônio Pizzonia was struggling. However, McLaren were struggling with their abortive new car and blocked the move to retain Wurz as a development driver.[citation needed] Jaguar then decided to give Pizzonia more time to prove himself, before drafting inJustin Wilson.
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Wurz signed a deal withWilliamsF1 to become the team's official test and reserve driver at the beginning of 2006. He drove the third car at all Friday sessions in2006. It was announced on 3 August 2006 that Wurz would replaceMark Webber as a race driver at Williams for the2007 season. This was Wurz's first full-time race drive since 2000, and his teammate wasNico Rosberg. At the Monaco GP on 27 May 2007, Wurz scored his first points for Williams, finishing in 7th place after qualifying 11th. He came third for the third time in his F1 career at theCanadian Grand Prix on 10 June 2007, having started 19th on the grid in an action packed race. He nearly repeated this at theEuropean Grand Prix, but was unable to overtakeMark Webber at the final chicane. That race turned out to be Wurz's last points finish. On 8 October 2007 he announced his immediate retirement from Formula One, meaning that the2007 Chinese Grand Prix was his final race.[5] He cited doubts over his own commitment as the main reason for his departure.[6] He was replaced by Williams test driverKazuki Nakajima for the final race of the2007 season inBrazil.[7]
Wurz was theHonda F1 test driver for the2008 Formula One season,[8] a role he kept when the team becameBrawn GP in2009.[9] In the2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Wurz drove the medical car after regular driver Jacques Tropenat fell ill.[10]
Wurz did not return to Formula One after the 2009 season. He re-joined Williams in2012 as a mentor for the team's inexperienced drivers:Bruno Senna andPastor Maldonado.[11]
Wurz signed withPeugeot to be part of their driving squad for the200824 Hours of Le Mans and he also participated1000km of Spa in theLe Mans Series.
In 2009, together withMarc Gené andDavid Brabham, Wurz took outright victory in theLe Mans 24 Hours, driving a works Peugeot.[12] The 13-year gap between Wurz's victories is the largest in the event's history.[3] Together with his victory in 2010 of the 12hrs race of Sebring with Marc Gené and Anthony Davidson and his victory of the 1000 miles race of Road Atlanta with Stéphane Sarrazin and Franck Montagny in 2011 it made him win the 3 big Sportscar Classic Races in a Peugeot 908.[13][14]Wurz continued to race forPeugeot Sport Total through 2010 and 2011, though no further Le Mans wins were forthcoming. In November 2011, Toyota Motorsports confirmed Wurz as one of their factory drivers for the companies planned return to the24 Heures du Mans in 2012.[15] Wurz will drive their new LMP1 Hybrid Prototype alongsideNicolas Lapierre andKazuki Nakajima.[16]
In May 2018, Wurz announced that he would follow in the footsteps of his father by making his competitive rallycross debut at theFIA World Rallycross Championship'sWorld RX of Norway atLånkebanen the following month, driving aFord Fiesta Supercar forMJP Racing Team Austria.[17]
Since 2008, Wurz had been working as an expert at Austria's state broadcasterORF alongsideErnst Hausleitner [de] commenting F1 sessions.
Wurz has been the Chairman of theGrand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) since October 2014, making him the longest serving head in the organization. He oversaw the GPDA's advocacy for the Halo cockpit protection, stating that its function "had to take precedence" despite aesthetic concerns.[18][19]
In his capacity as GPDA chairman and FIA 'expert representative', Wurz is also an active member of FIA safety commissions. These roles involve shaping circuit homologation standards,[20] refining runoff configurations, and contributing to initiatives like the FIA Safety Week seminars. He regularly communicates with FIA leadership, most recently urging PresidentMohammed Ben Sulayem to act after concerning roll‑hoop failures.[21]
In 2000, Wurz started amountain bike team with his countryman Markus Rainer. The team,Rainer-Wurz.com, is sponsored bysponsorsMcLaren,Siemens, andCannondale, and has won the World Cup several times.[citation needed] In the early 2000s, niche bicycle brand Katarga presented a limited edition high-endmountain bike called the Alexander Wurz EVO SL, whose frame prominently featured Wurz's autograph.[22]
In 2006, Wurz and his father founded the companyTest and Training International, a leader in the field of road safety and driver training. He also works closely with the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile), since 2011 as an operating partner of theFIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy.[23]
In 2015, TTI received thePrince Michael International Road Safety Award for its evidence-based driver training programmes, praised globally as “best in the world”, and its influence on road safety within governments and schools. Operating from sites inVienna,Teesdorf, andMonaco, TTI leverages relationships with the FIA, leading motorsport series (F1, WEC, MotoGP, Rally), OEMs, and public authorities.[24] Its training standards helped shape road safety legislation in Luxembourg, Switzerland, Finland, Poland, and formed the basis for an Austrian road‑safety law in 2002.[25]
Wurz lodged an entry for his own team into Formula One (announced on 31 May 2009) but the application was unsuccessful.Team Superfund was one of several new applicants hoping to compete in the sport from the2010 season onwards. It was believed that Wurz would prefer to align the team with an existing constructor based in the UK, perhaps renting space, facilities and staff from its factory, while Superfund takes time to build up its own headquarters, possibly based on existing resources in Austria.[26] The team would have been funded by Christian Baha, the owner of theSuperfund Group, and the cars would be powered by Cosworth engines.
A segment of TTI, Wurz Design, with Wurz as founder and creative lead—focuses on designing tracks for diverse applications: single‑seater circuits, motorbike layouts, rallycross, off‑road, drag strips, karting venues, test facilities, and driver training centres. Notable projects include circuit masterplanning for the upcomingQiddiya Speed Park (Saudi Arabia, host of the 2027 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix) and feasibility work on a Rwanda Grand Prix circuit.[27]
Wurz resides in Monaco, is married to Julia Horden and has three sons:Charlie, Felix andOscar.[28][29] He used to race with different coloured boots on each foot,[30] but after his return to racing in 2007, he wore matching pairs. His eldest son, Charlie, has competed inFIA Formula 3 forJenzer andTrident, and his youngest son, Oscar, won the2024 Formula 4 CEZ Championship.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Marko RSM | Dallara 393 | Fiat | A | ZOL 1 Ret | ZOL 2 7 | HOC1 1 9 | HOC1 2 6 | NÜR1 1 20 | NÜR1 2 12 | WUN 1 Ret | WUN 2 DNS | NOR 1 10 | NOR 2 11 | DIE 1 9 | DIE 2 4 | NÜR2 1 Ret | NÜR2 2 12 | SIN 1 | SIN 2 | AVU 1 DNS | AVU 2 11 | HOC2 1 9 | HOC2 2 19 | 13th | 27 |
| 1994 | G+M Escom Motorsport | Dallara 394 | Opel | A | ZOL 1 C | ZOL 2 4 | HOC1 1 1 | HOC1 2 1 | NÜR1 1 3 | NÜR1 2 3 | WUN 1 Ret | WUN 2 6 | NOR 1 4 | NOR 2 3 | DIE 1 3 | DIE 2 3 | NÜR2 1 3 | NÜR2 2 2 | AVU 1 4 | AVU 2 3 | SIN 1 5 | SIN 2 3 | HOC2 1 7 | HOC2 2 1 | 2nd | 219 |
| 1995 | G+M Escom Motorsport | Dallara 395 | Opel | A | HOC1 1 4 | HOC1 2 3 | AVU 1 Ret | AVU 2 5 | NOR 1 22 | NOR 2 8 | DIE 1 Ret | DIE 2 DNS | NÜR 1 7 | NÜR 2 8 | SIN 1 Ret | SIN 2 7 | MAG 1 2 | MAG 2 2 | HOC2 1 Ret | HOC2 2 19 | 6th | 74 | ||||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Opel Team Joest | Opel Calibra V6 4x4 | HOC 1 Ret | HOC 2 Ret | NÜR 1 12 | NÜR 2 DSQ | EST 1 10 | EST 2 8 | HEL 1 Ret | HEL 2 9 | NOR 1 12 | NOR 2 8 | DIE 1 9 | DIE 2 8 | SIL 1 7 | SIL 2 4 | NÜR 1 Ret | NÜR 2 DNS | MAG 1 10 | MAG 2 6 | MUG 1 6 | MUG 2 9 | HOC 1 Ret | HOC 2 DNS | INT 1 | INT 2 | SUZ 1 | SUZ 2 | 16th | 43 |
(key) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
† Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 |  Joest Racing |  Davy JonesManuel Reuter | TWRPorsche WSC-95 | LMP1 | 354 | 1st | 1st |
| 2008 |  Team PeugeotTotal | Stéphane Sarrazin Pedro Lamy | Peugeot 908 HDi FAP | LMP1 | 368 | 5th | 5th |
| 2009 | Team PeugeotTotal |  David Brabham Marc Gené | Peugeot 908 HDi FAP | LMP1 | 382 | 1st | 1st |
| 2010 | Team PeugeotTotal | Marc Gené Anthony Davidson | Peugeot 908 HDi FAP | LMP1 | 360 | DNF | DNF |
| 2011 | Peugeot SportTotal | Anthony DavidsonMarc Gené | Peugeot 908 | LMP1 | 351 | 4th | 4th |
| 2012 |  Toyota Racing | Nicolas LapierreKazuki Nakajima | Toyota TS030 Hybrid | LMP1 | 134 | DNF | DNF |
| 2013 | Toyota Racing | Nicolas LapierreKazuki Nakajima | Toyota TS030 Hybrid | LMP1 | 341 | 4th | 4th |
| 2014 | Toyota Racing | Stéphane SarrazinKazuki Nakajima | Toyota TS040 Hybrid | LMP1-H | 219 | DNF | DNF |
| 2015 | Toyota Racing | Stéphane SarrazinMike Conway | Toyota TS040 Hybrid | LMP1 | 387 | 6th | 6th |
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Team Peugeot Total | LMP1 | Peugeot 908 HDi FAP | PeugeotHDI 5.5 L Turbo V12 (Diesel) | LEC | SPA 4 | ALG | HUN | SIL | 31st | 11 |
| 2011 | Peugeot Sport Total | LMP1 | Peugeot 908 | PeugeotHDI 3.7 L Turbo V8 (Diesel) | LEC | SPA1 1 | IMO | SIL | EST | NC | N/A |
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Team PeugeotTotal | LMP1 | Peugeot 908 HDi FAP | Peugeot HDi 5.5 L Turbo V12 (Diesel) | SEB 1 | LNB | MON | UTA | LIM | MID | AME | MOS | PET 2 | NC | – | [38] |
| 2011 | Peugeot Sport Total | LMP1 | Peugeot 908 | PeugeotHDI 3.7 L Turbo V8 (Diesel) | SEB1 8 | LBH | LIM | MOS | MDO | RDA | BAL | MON | PET1 1 | NC | N/A | [39] |
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Peugeot Sport Total | LMP1 | Peugeot 908 | PeugeotHDI 3.7 L Turbo V8 (Diesel) | SEB 8 | SPA 1 | LMS 4 | IMO | SIL | PET 1 | ZHU | [40] |
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Toyota Racing | LMP1 | Toyota TS030 Hybrid | Toyota 3.4 L V8 (Hybrid) | SEB | SPA | LMS Ret | SIL 2 | SÃO 1 | BHR Ret | FUJ 1 | SHA 1 | 3rd | 96 |
| 2013 | Toyota Racing | LMP1 | Toyota TS030 Hybrid | Toyota 3.4 L V8 (Hybrid) | SIL 4 | SPA Ret | LMS 4 | SÃO | COA | FUJ 1 | SHA 2 | BHR Ret | 4th | 69.5 |
| 2014 | Toyota Racing | LMP1 | Toyota TS040 Hybrid | Toyota 3.7 L V8 (Hybrid) | SIL 2 | SPA 3 | LMS Ret | COA 6 | FUJ 2 | SHA 2 | BHR 1 | SÃO 4 | 5th | 116 |
| 2015 | Toyota Racing | LMP1 | Toyota TS040 Hybrid | Toyota 3.7 L V8 (Hybrid) | SIL 4 | SPA 5 | LMS 6 | NÜR 6 | COA Ret | FUJ 6 | SHA 5 | BHR 3 | 6th | 79 |
Source:[33] | ||||||||||||||
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | P | Ford EcoBoost Riley DP | Ford EcoBoost 3.5 L V6 Turbo | DAY 5 | SEB | LBH | LGA | DET | WGL | MOS | ELK | COA | PET | 27th | 27 |
Source:[33] | ||||||||||||||||
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | WRX | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | MJP Racing Team Austria | Ford Fiesta | BAR | POR | BEL | GBR | NOR 18 | SWE | CAN | FRA | LAT 18 | USA | GER | RSA | 29th | 0 |
Source:[33] | ||||||||||||||||
