normal and that was of course a benefit for us.”
But for whatever reason, unfortunately neither of their Formula One careers would live up to its early promise. Klien outqualified Coulthard 8-7 in 2005 and was in line to score Red Bull’s first podium at Monaco in 2006 before transmission failure struck. He was eventually replaced by Robert Doornbos for the final three Grand Prix of the season, only returning to F1 in 2010 for a three-race stint at Colin Kolles’ fledgling HRT team.
Liuzzi would also race for Kolles at HRT in 2011 alongside a fresh-faced Daniel Ricciardo, having been dropped by Red Bull sister team Toro Rosso at the end of the 2007 season despite a sixth place in China. He would match that result for Force India at the 2010 Korean Grand Prix, before teaming up with Kolles again in the new World Endurance Championship in 2012.
Motorsport is a funny old business at the best of times, so it was only apt that it took the perfect storm of French air traffic control strikes – which threatened to ground ByKolles’ second driver Simon Trummer – and the last-minute withdrawal of Klien’s original team due to contractual wranglings for the pair to finally be reunited at the WEC’s season-opening 6 Hours of Silverstone, naturally with Kolles again at the helm. Klien takes up the story:
“The good thing is that in endurance racing we don’t have to fight for the seat!” he joked. “There was obviously a bit of a drama, so I was here anyway just to sort things out. I was around the paddock and on Friday morning [ByKolles director of operations] Boris Bermes called me to ask if I was available. I said ‘right now I’m in bed but I can be in one and a half hours!’ so I came straight here. Thankfully Sard-Morand were fine with it, so it’s good to race.”
However, the CLM P1/01’s lack of downforce and struggles to get heat into the tyres meant scoring a result against the manufacturer entrants around the high-speed Silverstone was always going to be a tough ask, and qualifying amongst the LMP2 pack confirmed their worst fears. An extended stay in the garage after sustaining floor damage from a kerb on the opening lap meant things didn’t get much better therein, before the glorified test session was eventually cut short forty minutes before the end by engine failure.
Image: Octane Photographic