Christian Josef Danner (born 4 April 1958) is a former German racing driver whose career stretched from Formula Two and Formula 3000 to Formula One, touring cars and IndyCar. He was also the very first International Formula 3000 champion, making his name in one of the toughest feeder series of the era before reaching Grand Prix racing.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | German |
| Birthplace | Munich, Germany |
| Born | 4 April 1958 |
| First Grand Prix | 1985 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1985–1987, 1989 |
| Current/Last Team | Rial |
Career
Formula Two and Formula 3000
The son of car-safety expert Max Danner, Christian went racing almost as soon as school was finished, beginning his career in 1977. After competing in the Renault 5 Cup, he stepped up to the European Formula Two Championship for 1981.
Danner quickly became a regular presence near the front. He collected several podium finishes during his Formula Two years, although an outright victory frustratingly remained out of reach. He did, however, leave one particularly lasting mark by setting the Formula Two lap record on the then-current configuration of the old Nürburgring.
For 1985, Formula Two was replaced by the new International Formula 3000 Championship, and Danner seized the opportunity immediately. Winning four races, he became the inaugural champion of the new series – a neat bit of motorsport history and the performance that firmly established him as a Formula One prospect.
Formula One
Danner’s Formula One debut came later that same year with Zakspeed. He made two Grand Prix starts in 1985, but mechanical failures meant neither ended at the chequered flag.
For 1986 he joined the small Italian Osella team, where life became considerably harder. The car was difficult and its Alfa Romeo engine lacked the power needed to fight further up the grid. Danner failed to finish any of his first six races before an opportunity opened up at Arrows.
The move immediately improved matters. Arrows had the fearsomely powerful BMW turbo engine, and Danner scored his first Formula One World Championship point with sixth place at the Austrian Grand Prix.
He returned to Zakspeed for 1987, but the 871 was both slow and unreliable. On the occasions Danner did reach the finish, points remained out of reach, and he stepped away from Formula One at the end of the season.
After spending 1988 in touring cars, Danner was handed another Grand Prix chance with Rial Racing in 1989. The car was rarely competitive and simply qualifying could be an achievement, but one chaotic afternoon produced the standout result of his Formula One career.
At the United States Grand Prix, a high rate of retirements opened the door and Danner kept going to finish fourth – a superb result for both driver and team given the machinery underneath him.
Unfortunately, it was very much the exception. Danner qualified for only four races during the season and was dropped following the Portuguese Grand Prix, bringing his Formula One career to an end.
Touring cars
Touring cars turned out to be a much happier hunting ground. Danner had first entered the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft in 1988 after failing to secure a Formula One seat, and his introduction could hardly have gone better: driving a BMW M3 at Hockenheim, he won both races.
His appearances were more sporadic in 1989 and 1990, before he returned full-time in 1991. That season proved difficult, producing just one points-scoring finish, but Danner gradually rebuilt his momentum.
His strongest DTM campaign came in 1993. Six podium finishes carried him to fifth in the championship standings, and he also won the non-championship race at Donington Park.
Two years later he was a winner again, taking victory at the Norisring in 1995. Danner continued racing touring cars through 1997, adding a substantial second act to a career that might otherwise have been remembered mainly for Formula One.
He also made a one-off British Touring Car Championship appearance at Thruxton in 1991, driving a BMW M3.
Other racing
Danner’s CV extended well beyond Formula One and the DTM. In 1990 he competed in Japanese Formula 3000 with Leyton House’s team, scoring four points and finishing 14th in the championship.
During the 1990s he also made several appearances in the Indy Car World Series. His best result came at Homestead-Miami in 1995, where he finished seventh.
Later still, Danner took part in Grand Prix Masters, the short-lived series created for former Formula One drivers – an appropriate setting for someone whose career had covered so many different corners of the sport.
Media career
Once his full-time driving days were over, Danner remained firmly connected to Formula One. He moved into broadcasting and became a familiar voice to German viewers as an F1 commentator for RTL.
It was a fitting next chapter for a driver who had experienced the sport from almost every angle: junior-formula champion, Formula One racer, touring-car winner and, eventually, the man explaining it all from the commentary box.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 46 |
| Race Starts | 36 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 11th |
| Best Race Finish | 4th |
| Retirements | 22 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 2 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 10 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 46 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 10 |
Points
| Points Scored | 4 |
| Points Finishes | 2 |
| Most Points in a Single Season | 3 |
| Seasons with Points | 2 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Zakspeed | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 22nd | Ret | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1986 | Osella/Arrows | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 11th | 6th | 1 | 1 | 18th |
| 1987 | Zakspeed | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 16th | 7th | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1989 | Rial | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26th | 4th | 1 | 3 | 21st |
Stats by Constructor
| Constructor | Years | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zakspeed | 1985, 1987 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 16th | 7th | 0 | 0 |
| Osella | 1986 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 25th | Ret | 0 | 0 |
| Arrows | 1986 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11th | 6th | 1 | 1 |
| Rial | 1989 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26th | 4th | 1 | 3 |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piercarlo Ghinzani | 1986 | 6 | – |
| Thierry Boutsen | 1986 | 10 | – |
| Martin Brundle | 1987 | 15 | – |
| Volker Weidler | 1989 | 10 | – |
| Pierre-Henri Raphanel | 1989 | 3 | – |
