Michael Bartels found his greatest success in GT racing after a brief and unsuccessful attempt to establish himself in Formula One. Born on 8 March 1968, the German won a national karting title in 1985 and the German Formula Ford 1600 championship in 1986 before progressing through German F3 and Formula 3000.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | German |
| Birthplace | Plettenberg, Germany |
| Born | 8 March 1968 |
| First Grand Prix | 1991 German Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1991 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1991 |
| Current/Last Team | Team Lotus |
In 1991 he made four F1 qualifying attempts for Lotus, standing in when Johnny Herbert‘s Japanese Formula 3000 commitments took priority. None produced a race start. Back in F3000, Bartels finished fourth in the 1992 championship, then broadened his career into touring cars.
He raced in the DTM from 1994 to 1996, competed in Super Touring between 1997 and 1999 and returned when the DTM was relaunched in 2000. Endurance success followed: he won the Nürburgring 24 Hours in a works Porsche 911 GT3 in 2000 and a Chrysler Viper in 2001.
Third in the 2003 V8Star series behind Pedro Lamy and Thomas Mutsch preceded a move to the FIA GT Championship with Konrad’s Saleen S7-R in 2004. In 2005 he established Bartels Motor&Sport, racing under the Vitaphone banner with a Maserati MC12 and initially partnering Timo Scheider.
With Andrea Bertolini, Bartels won FIA GT titles in 2006, 2008 and 2009, followed by the 2010 GT1 world championship. Spa 24 Hours victories in 2005, 2006 and 2008 further strengthened the record.
Away from racing, he was in a relationship with tennis player Steffi Graf from 1992 to 1999. On track, his enduring reputation rests on the successful GT team he helped build and the championships it won.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 4 |
| Race Starts | 0 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | DNQ |
| Best Race Finish | DNQ |
| Retirements | 0 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 4 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 4 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 4 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Lotus | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | DNQ | DNQ | 0 | 0 | Never classified |
Stats by Constructor
| Constructor | Years | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lotus | 1991 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | DNQ | DNQ | 0 | 0 |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mika Hakkinen | 1991 | 4 | – |
