| Nationality | German |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Christian Josef Danner |
| Birth date | 4 April 1958 (age 68) |
| Birth place | Munich, West Germany |
| Years | –, |
| Teams | Zakspeed, Osella, Arrows, Rial |
| Races | 47 (36 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Points | 4 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First race | 1985 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Last race | 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix |
Christian Josef Danner (born 4 April 1958) is a former racing driver from Germany.
Career
Formula Two and Formula 3000
The son of car safety expert Max Danner, Danner started his motor racing career immediately after leaving school in 1977.[1] After having raced in the Renault 5 cup, Danner moved to the European Formula Two Championship for the season. During his years in Formula Two, Danner was a constant frontrunner. He scored several podiums but failed to win a race. Danner also set the F2 lap record of the current configuration of the old Nürburgring. Danner moved to the Formula 3000 championship in 1985 which replaced the Formula Two championship. With four wins, Danner became the inaugural Formula 3000 championship winner.
Formula One
In , Danner made his Formula One debut with Zakspeed. He made two starts but failed to finish any races due to mechanical failures. For , he signed with minor Italian outfit Osella but struggled to make an impression with the car and its under powered Alfa Romeo engine. After failing to finish a race in the first six races, Danner moved to Arrows with their powerful BMW turbo engines and scored his first point at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Danner returned to Zakspeed in . The car was both un-competitive and often unreliable and when Danner finished a race it was always outside the points. After having raced touring cars in 1988, Danner returned to Formula one in with Rial Racing. The car was highly uncompetitive, and a fourth place due to a high attrition rate at the 1989 United States Grand Prix was the only highlight of the year. Danner was fired after the Portuguese Grand Prix after only qualifying for four races that year.[2]
Touring cars
After his Formula One career, Danner became a regular competitor in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft. He made his debut in 1988 after failing to find a ride in Formula one. Danner made an impressive start to his touring car career as he won both races at the Hockenheimring driving a BMW M3. After only making sporadic appearances in 1989 and 1990, Danner made a full-time return to the series in 1991. He had a disappointing season and only had one points scoring finish. In 1993, Danner had his best season. He scored six podium finishes and finished fifth in the points standings. He also won a race at the Non-Championship round in Donington Park. Danner returned to winning ways in 1995 when he won a race at the Norisring. Danner kept racing touring cars through 1997.
In 1991, Danner also started in one British Touring Car Championship race at Thruxton, driving a BMW M3.
Other racing
Danner competed in Japanese Formula 3000 in 1990, driving for Leyton House's F3000 team. He scored four points and was ranked 14th. In the nineties Danner made several appearances in the Indy Car World Series. His best finish was a seventh place at Homestead Miami in 1995. He also took part in the now defunct series, Grand Prix Masters.
Media career
After his racing career, Danner became an F1 commentator for the channel RTL in his native Germany.[1]
Motorsports career results
Career summary
Complete European Formula Two Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Pos. | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cassani Racing Team | Ralt RT1 | BMW | THR | HOC | NÜR DNS | VLL | PAU | SIL | ZOL | MUG | ZAN | PER | MIS | HOC | NC | 0 | |||||
| March Racing | March 812 | BMW | SIL 10 | HOC 9 | THR 5 | NÜR 10 | VLL Ret | MUG 16 | PAU Ret | PER Ret | SPA Ret | DON 14 | MIS Ret | MAN 11 | 18th | 2 | |||||
| March Racing | March 822 | BMW | SIL Ret | HOC Ret | THR Ret | NÜR 9 | MUG DNS | VLL 13 | PAU Ret | SPA 9 | HOC Ret | DON 7 | MAN 6 | PER 5 | MIS 4 | 14th | 6 | ||||
| Onyx Racing | March 832 | BMW | SIL 3 | THR 13 | HOC 2 | NÜR 3 | VLL 10 | PAU 5 | JAR 9 | DON 5 | MIS Ret | PER 7 | ZOL 4 | MUG 10 | 5th | 21 | |||||
| BS Automotive | March 842 | BMW | SIL 7 | HOC 6 | THR 2 | VLL 3 | MUG 3 | PAU 4 | HOC Ret | MIS 6 | PER Ret | DON 3 | BRH 10 | 5th | 23 | ||||||
Source:[4] | |||||||||||||||||||||
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helmut Marko RSM | Peter Oberndofer Prince Leopold von Bayern | BMW M1 | GT | 49 | DNF | DNF | |
| Kreepy Krauly Racing | Graham Duxbury Almo Coppelli | March 85G-Porsche | C1 | 270 | 22nd | 17th | |
| Kouros Sauber Racing Team | Henri Pescarolo Dieter Quester | Sauber C8-Mercedes | C1 | 86 | DNF | DNF | |
Complete International Formula 3000 results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | BS Automotive | March 85B | Cosworth | SIL 4 | THR 6 | EST 9 | NÜR C | VLL 3 | PAU 1 | SPA 3 | DIJ 1 | PER 3 | ÖST 16 | ZAN 1 | DON 1 | 1st | 51 |
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Zakspeed Racing | Zakspeed 841 | Zakspeed 1500/4 1.5 L4t | BRA | POR | SMR | MON | CAN | DET | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | NED | ITA | BEL Ret | EUR Ret | RSA | AUS | NC | 0 | |
| Osella Squadra Corse | Osella FA1G | Alfa Romeo 890T 1.5 V8t | BRA Ret | ESP Ret | SMR Ret | MON DNQ | CAN Ret | 18th | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Osella FA1H | BEL Ret | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Barclay Arrows BMW | Arrows A8 | BMW M12/13 1.5 L4t | DET Ret | FRA 11 | GBR Ret | GER Ret | AUT 6 | ITA 8 | POR 11 | MEX 9 | AUS Ret | ||||||||||
| Arrows A9 | HUN Ret | ||||||||||||||||||||
| West Zakspeed Racing | Zakspeed 861 | Zakspeed 1500/4 1.5 L4t | BRA 9 | SMR 7 | NC | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| Zakspeed 871 | BEL Ret | MON EX | DET 8 | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER Ret | HUN Ret | AUT 9 | ITA 9 | POR Ret | ESP Ret | MEX Ret | JPN Ret | AUS 7 | |||||||
| Rial Racing | Rial ARC2 | Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 | BRA 14† | SMR DNQ | MON DNQ | MEX 12 | USA 4 | CAN 8 | FRA DNQ | GBR DNQ | GER DNQ | HUN DNQ | BEL DNQ | ITA DNQ | POR DNQ | ESP | JPN | AUS | 21st | 3 | |
Complete Japanese Formula 3000 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Leyton House Racing | SUZ 13 | FUJ Ret | MIN 9 | SUZ 15 | SUG 17 | FUJ Ret | FUJ 10 | SUZ 16 | FUJ 3 | SUZ | 15th | 4 |
Source:[4] | |||||||||||||
Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete British Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | DC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | BMW Team Finance | BMW M3 | SIL | SNE | DON | THR 5 | SIL | BRH | SIL | DON 1 | DON 2 | OUL | BRH 1 | BRH 2 | DON | THR | SIL | 18th | 8 |
Complete International Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Schübel Engineering | Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti | MUG 1 Ret | MUG 2 12 | HEL 1 1 | HEL 2 13† | DON 1 12 | DON 2 9 | EST 1 15 | EST 2 DNS | MAG 1 Ret | MAG 2 13 | 13th | 22 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | TV Spielfilm Alfa Corse | Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti | HOC 1 13 | HOC 2 Ret | NÜR 1 9 | NÜR 2 10 | EST 1 12 | EST 2 13 | HEL 1 8 | HEL 2 Ret | NOR 1 Ret | NOR 2 DNS | DIE 1 15 | DIE 2 Ret | SIL 1 10 | SIL 2 13 | NÜR 1 18 | NÜR 2 20 | MAG 1 Ret | MAG 2 DNS | MUG 1 12 | MUG 2 Ret | HOC 1 7 | HOC 2 6 | INT 1 3 | INT 2 Ret | SUZ 1 2 | SUZ 2 7 | 15th | 48 |
Complete Super Tourenwagen Cup results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics 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 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | JAS Engineering | Alfa Romeo 155 TS | HOC 1 17 | HOC 2 23 | ZOL 1 23 | ZOL 2 23 | NÜR 1 17 | NÜR 2 Ret | SAC 1 Ret | SAC 2 Ret | NOR 1 17 | NOR 2 Ret | WUN 1 18 | WUN 2 Ret | ZWE 1 24 | ZWE 2 21 | SAL 1 20 | SAL 2 18 | REG 1 20 | REG 2 18 | NÜR 1 23 | NÜR 2 18 | 29th | 37 |
Source:[8] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
American Open-Wheel racing results
PPG Indycar Series
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Euromotorsport | 50 | SRF | PHX | LBH | INDY | DET 18 | POR | MIL | NHA | TOR 16 | MCH | CLE 16 | ROA 16 | VAN 21 | MDO 19 | NAZ 13 | LAG 20 | 39th | 0 | [9] | |
| 1993 | Euromotorsport | SRF | PHX | LBH | INDY | MIL | DET | POR | CLE 25 | TOR | MCH | NHA | ROA 11 | VAN | MDO | NAZ | LAG 26 | 31st | 2 | [10] | ||
| 1994 | Project Indy | 64 | SRF | PHX | LBH | INDY | MIL | DET 12 | POR | CLE | TOR | MCH | MDO | NHA | VAN | ROA 12 | NAZ | LAG | 30th | 2 | [11] | |
| 1995 | Project Indy | MIA 7 | SRF | PHX | LBH | NAZ | INDY | MIL | DET 22 | POR | ROA | TOR | CLE | MCH | MDO | NHA | VAN | LAG | 25th | 6 | [12] | |
| 1997 | Payton/Coyne | 34 | MIA | SRF | LBH | NAZ | RIO | GAT | MIL | DET 12 | POR 27 | CLE | TOR | MCH | MDO | ROA | VAN 23 | LAG | FON | 31st | 1 | [13] |
Complete Grand Prix Masters results
(key) Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap.
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Team Unipart | Delta Motorsport GPM | Nicholson McLaren 3.5 V8 | RSA 7 | ||||
| 2006 | Team LUK | Delta Motorsport GPM | Nicholson McLaren 3.5 V8 | QAT 2 | ITA C | GBR 3 | MAL C | RSA C |
Source:[4] | ||||||||
References
- ^ "Christian Danner's CV". christian-danner.net. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
- ^ "CONSTRUCTORS: RIAL". grandprix.com. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
- ^ "Christian Danner". Driver Database. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "Christian Danner". Motor Sport. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "Christian Danner Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "Christian Danner". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Small, Steve (2000). "Danner, Christian". Grand Prix Who's Who. Third ed. Reading, Berkshire: Travel Publishing. pp. 154–155. ISBN 978-1-902007-46-5. Retrieved 3 January 2024. – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Christian Danner race results". TouringCars.net. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "Christian Danner – 1992 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Christian Danner – 1993 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Christian Danner – 1994 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Christian Danner – 1995 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Christian Danner – 1997 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.