Alexander Wurz

Alexander Georg Wurz (; born 15 February 1974) is an Austrian former racing driver, motorsport executive and businessman, who competed in Formula One between and . In endurance racing, Wurz is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in and with Joest and Peugeot, respectively.

Amongst several test driver roles, Wurz competed at 69 Grands Prix across six seasons with Benetton, McLaren, and Williams; he achieved three podiums. Since his retirement, he has been a commentator for television, as well as chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. and occasionally a driver steward.

Early life

Alexander Georg Wurz was born on 15 February 1974 in Waidhofen an der Thaya, Lower Austria. He is the second son of former rallycross driver Franz Wurz, who won the European Rallycross Championship in 1974, 1976 and 1982. Wurz competed in cycling events in his youth, and won the BMX World Championship in 1986 at the age of 12.

Junior racing career Like most Formula One drivers, Wurz's motorsport career began with karting. In 1991, Wurz drove in Formula Ford. In 1993, he switched to the German Formula Three Championship. During his time in Formula 3, Wurz crashed out of the lead at a race at AVUS in 1995 after a collision with the safety car. From 1996, Wurz drove an Opel Calibra for the Joest Racing touring car team in the DTM. Also in 1996, Wurz, together with Davy Jones and Manuel Reuter, won the Le Mans 24 Hours and in so doing became the youngest ever winner of the 24-hour race, a record he still holds.

Formula One career Benetton (1997–2000)

Wurz's Formula One debut was on 15 June 1997 at Montreal for Benetton filling in for fellow Austrian Gerhard Berger, who could not race due to illness. 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 the German 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 by Giancarlo Fisichella. In 1998, he outscored Fisichella by one point to finish joint seventh in the driver's championship together with Heinz-Harald Frentzen. At the 1998 Monaco Grand Prix, he was running second ahead of Michael 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.

The 1999 season was a disappointment for both drivers with the uncompetitive B199 (although Fisichella scored a podium in Canada). In the 2000 season, Wurz scored points only at the Italian Grand Prix, while Fisichella scored podium finishes three times. For 2001, Benetton's last season before its transformation into Renault, he was replaced with Jenson Button.

McLaren test driver (2001–2005) Wurz (right) was a test driver for McLaren from to , competing for the team once at the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix. In , Wurz was a test driver for McLaren. In , he was almost promoted as race driver to replace Mika Häkkinen, but he remained as test driver after Kimi Räikkönen took over.

In April 2005, with Juan Pablo Montoya injured, Wurz drove for McLaren in the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix, finishing fourth in the race, but taking third place after both BAR-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. In he was strongly linked to a race seat at Jaguar, where the under-fire Antônio Pizzonia was struggling. However, McLaren were struggling with their abortive new car and blocked the move to retain Wurz as a development driver. Jaguar then decided to give Pizzonia more time to prove himself, before drafting in Justin Wilson.

Williams (2006–2007)

Wurz signed a deal with WilliamsF1 to become the team's official test and reserve driver at the beginning of 2006. He drove the third car at all Friday sessions in . It was announced on 3 August 2006 that Wurz would replace Mark Webber as a race driver at Williams for the season. This was Wurz's first full-time race drive since 2000, and his teammate was Nico Rosberg. At the Monaco GP on 27 May 2007, Wurz scored his first points for Williams, finishing in seventh place after qualifying 11th. He came third for the third time in his F1 career at the Canadian Grand Prix on 10 June 2007, having started 19th on the grid in an action packed race. He nearly repeated this at the European Grand Prix, but was unable to overtake Mark 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 the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix was his final race. He cited doubts over his own commitment as the main reason for his departure. He was replaced by Williams test driver Kazuki Nakajima for the final race of the 2007 season in Brazil.

Honda / Brawn test driver (2008–2009) Wurz demonstrating a Honda RA108 at the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Wurz was the Honda F1 test driver for the 2008 Formula One season, a role he kept when the team became Brawn GP in . In the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Wurz drove the medical car after regular driver Jacques Tropenat fell ill.

Wurz did not return to Formula One after the 2009 season. He re-joined Williams in as a mentor for the team's inexperienced drivers: Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado.

Other racing Sportscar racing Wurz signed with Peugeot to be part of their driving squad for the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans and he also participated 1000km of Spa in the Le Mans Series.

In 2009, together with Marc Gené and David Brabham, Wurz took outright victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours, driving a works Peugeot. The 13-year gap between Wurz's victories is the largest in the event's history. Wurz continued to race for Peugeot 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 the 24 Heures du Mans in 2012. Wurz would drive their new LMP1 Hybrid Prototype alongside Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima.

Rallycross In May 2018, Wurz announced that he would follow in the footsteps of his father by making his competitive rallycross debut at the FIA World Rallycross Championship's World RX of Norway at Lånkebanen the following month, driving a Ford Fiesta Supercar for MJP Racing Team Austria.

Other ventures Since 2008, Wurz had been working as an expert at Austria's state broadcaster ORF alongside commenting F1 sessions.

Grand Prix Drivers' Association Wurz has been the Chairman of the Grand 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.

FIA Safety Commission 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, refining runoff configurations, and contributing to initiatives like the FIA Safety Week seminars. He regularly communicates with FIA leadership, most recently urging President Mohammed Ben Sulayem to act after concerning roll‑hoop failures.

Rainer-Wurz.com In 2000, Wurz started a mountain bike team with his countryman Markus Rainer. The team, Rainer-Wurz.com, is sponsored by sponsors McLaren, Siemens and Cannondale, and has won the World Cup several times. In the early 2000s, niche bicycle brand Katarga presented a limited edition high-end mountain bike called the Alexander Wurz EVO SL, whose frame prominently featured Wurz's autograph.

Road safety In 2006, Wurz and his father founded the company Test 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 the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy.

In 2015, TTI received the Prince 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 in Vienna, Teesdorf, and Monaco, TTI leverages relationships with the FIA, leading motorsport series (F1, WEC, MotoGP, Rally), OEMs, and public authorities. 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.

Team Superfund 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 the 2010 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. The team would have been funded by Christian Baha, the owner of the Superfund Group, and the cars would be powered by Cosworth engines.

Circuit design 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 upcoming Qiddiya Speed Park (Saudi Arabia, host of the 2027 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix) and feasibility work on a Rwanda Grand Prix circuit.

Personal life Wurz resides in Monaco, is married to Julia Horden and has three sons: Charlie, Felix and Oscar. He used to race with different coloured boots on each foot, but after his return to racing in 2007, he wore matching pairs. His eldest son, Charlie, has competed in FIA Formula 3 for Jenzer and Trident, and his youngest son, Oscar, won the 2024 Formula 4 CEZ Championship.

Racing record

Career summary Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position 1992 German Formula Ford 1600 Walter Lechner Racing School 9 5 5 3 9 170 1st 1993 Austria Formula 3 Cup RSM Marko ? ? ? ? ? ? 1st German Formula 3 Championship 16 0 0 0 0 27 13th Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 17th 1994 German Formula 3 Championship G+M Escom Motorsport 19 3 1 3 12 219 2nd Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 15th Grand Prix de Monaco F3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 10th Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 26th 1995 German Formula 3 Championship G+M Escom Motorsport 15 0 0 0 3 74 6th British Formula 3 Championship 1 0 0 0 0 4 21st Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 7th Grand Prix de Monaco F3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 6th Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A NC 1996 International Touring Car Championship Opel Team Joest 20 0 0 1 0 43 16th 24 Hours of Le Mans Joest Racing 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st 1997 Formula One Mild Seven Benetton Renault 3 0 0 0 1 4 14th FIA GT Championship AMG Mercedes 10 1 5 4 3 25 10th 1998 Formula One Mild Seven Benetton Playlife 16 0 0 1 0 17 8th 1999 Formula One Mild Seven Benetton Playlife 16 0 0 0 0 3 13th 2000 Formula One Mild Seven Benetton Playlife 17 0 0 0 0 2 15th 2001 Formula One West McLaren Mercedes Test driver 2002 Formula One West McLaren Mercedes Test driver 2003 Formula One West McLaren Mercedes Test driver 2004 Formula One West McLaren Mercedes Test driver 2005 Formula One West McLaren MercedesTeam McLaren Mercedes 1 0 0 0 1 6 17th 2006 Formula One Williams F1 Team Test driver 2007 Formula One AT&T Williams 16 0 0 0 1 13 11th 2008 Formula One Honda Racing F1 Team Test driver 24 Hours of Le Mans Team Peugeot Total 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 5th 2009 Formula One Brawn GP F1 Team Test driver 24 Hours of Le Mans Team Peugeot Total 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st 2010 Le Mans Series Team Peugeot Total 1 0 0 0 0 11 31st 24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF 2011 American Le Mans Series Peugeot Sport Total 2 1 0 0 1 N/A NC Le Mans Series 1 1 0 0 1 N/A NC Intercontinental Le Mans Cup 4 2 0 0 2 N/A N/A 24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 4th 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship Toyota Racing 6 3 3 0 4 96 3rd 24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship Toyota Racing 6 1 3 0 2 69.5 4th 24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 4th 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship Toyota Racing 8 1 2 0 5 116 5th 24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship Toyota Racing 8 0 0 0 1 79 6th 24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 6th 2016 IMSA SportsCar Championship Ford Chip Ganassi Racing 1 0 0 0 0 27 27th 2018 World Rallycross Championship MJP Racing Team Austria 2 0 0 0 0 0 29th

Complete German Formula Three Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics 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 Pts 1993 Marko RSM Dallara 393 Fiat A ZOL1 ZOL2 HOC11 HOC12 NÜR11 NÜR12 WUN1 WUN2 NOR1 NOR2 DIE1 DIE2 NÜR21 NÜR22 SIN1 SIN2 AVU1 AVU2 HOC21 HOC22 13th 27 1994 G+M Escom Motorsport Dallara 394 Opel A ZOL1 ZOL2 HOC11 HOC12 NÜR11 NÜR12 WUN1 WUN2 NOR1 NOR2 DIE1 DIE2 NÜR21 NÜR22 AVU1 AVU2 SIN1 SIN2 HOC21 HOC22 2nd 219 1995 G+M Escom Motorsport Dallara 395 Opel A HOC11 HOC12 AVU1 AVU2 NOR1 NOR2 DIE1 DIE2 NÜR1 NÜR2 SIN1 SIN2 MAG1 MAG2 HOC21 HOC22 6th 74

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 Pts 1996 Opel Team Joest Opel Calibra V6 4x4 HOC1 HOC2 NÜR1 NÜR2 EST1 EST2 HEL1 HEL2 NOR1 NOR2 DIE1 DIE2 SIL1 SIL2 NÜR1 NÜR2 MAG1 MAG2 MUG1 MUG2 HOC1 HOC2 INT1 INT2 SUZ1 SUZ2 16th 43

Complete Formula One results (key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 WDC Points Mild Seven Benetton Renault Benetton B197 Renault RS9 3.0 V10 AUS BRA ARG SMR MON ESP CAN FRA GBR GER HUN BEL ITA AUT LUX JPN EUR 14th 4 Mild Seven Benetton Playlife Benetton B198 Playlife GC37-01 3.0 V10 AUS BRA ARG SMR ESP MON CAN FRA GBR AUT GER HUN† BEL ITA LUX JPN 8th 17 Mild Seven Benetton Playlife Benetton B199 Playlife FB01 3.0 V10 AUS BRA SMR MON ESP CAN FRA GBR AUT GER HUN BEL ITA EUR MAL JPN 13th 3 Mild Seven Benetton Playlife Benetton B200 Playlife FB02 3.0 V10 AUS BRA SMR GBR ESP EUR† MON CAN FRA AUT GER HUN BEL ITA USA JPN MAL 15th 2 West McLaren Mercedes McLaren MP4-20 Mercedes FO 110R 3.0 V10 AUS MAL BHR SMR ESP MON EUR CAN USA FRA GBR GER 17th 6 Team McLaren Mercedes HUN TUR ITA BEL BRA JPN CHN Williams F1 Team Williams FW28 Cosworth CA2006 2.4 V8 BHR MAL AUS SMR EUR ESP MON GBR CAN USA FRA GER HUN TUR ITA CHN JPN BRA – – AT&T Williams Williams FW29 Toyota RVX-07 2.4 V8 AUS MAL BHR ESP MON CAN USA FRA GBR EUR HUN TUR ITA BEL JPN CHN BRA 11th 13

Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Sports car racing

Le Mans 24 Hours results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Joest Racing Davy Jones Manuel Reuter TWR Porsche WSC-95 LMP1 354 1st 1st Team Peugeot Total Stéphane Sarrazin Pedro Lamy Peugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1 368 5th 5th Team Peugeot Total David Brabham Marc Gené Peugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1 382 1st 1st Team Peugeot Total Marc Gené Anthony Davidson Peugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1 360 DNF DNF Peugeot Sport Total Anthony Davidson Marc Gené Peugeot 908 LMP1 351 4th 4th Toyota Racing Nicolas Lapierre Kazuki Nakajima Toyota TS030 Hybrid LMP1 134 DNF DNF Toyota Racing Nicolas Lapierre Kazuki Nakajima Toyota TS030 Hybrid LMP1 341 4th 4th Toyota Racing Stéphane Sarrazin Kazuki Nakajima Toyota TS040 Hybrid LMP1-H 219 DNF DNF Toyota Racing Stéphane Sarrazin Mike Conway Toyota TS040 Hybrid LMP1 387 6th 6th

Le Mans Series results Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 Rank Points 2010 Team Peugeot Total LMP1 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP Peugeot HDI 5.5 L Turbo V12 (Diesel) LEC SPA ALG HUN SIL 31st 11 2011 Peugeot Sport Total LMP1 Peugeot 908 Peugeot HDI 3.7 L Turbo V8 (Diesel) LEC SPA1 IMO SIL EST NC N/Acenter|small|Sources: 2011 Peugeot Sport Total LMP1 Peugeot 908 Peugeot HDI 3.7 L Turbo V8 (Diesel) SEB1 LBH LIM MOS MDO RDA BAL MON PET1 NC N/A 1 Driver run for the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, no points awarded for the American Le Mans Series.

Intercontinental Le Mans Cup results Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ref 2011 Peugeot Sport Total LMP1 Peugeot 908 Peugeot HDI 3.7 L Turbo V8 (Diesel) SEB SPA LMS IMO SIL PET ZHU

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results 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 SIL SÃO BHR FUJ SHA 3rd 96 2013 Toyota Racing LMP1 Toyota TS030 Hybrid Toyota 3.4 L V8 (Hybrid) SIL SPA LMS SÃO COA FUJ SHA BHR 4th 69.5 2014 Toyota Racing LMP1 Toyota TS040 Hybrid Toyota 3.7 L V8 (Hybrid) SIL SPA LMS COA FUJ SHA BHR SÃO 5th 116 2015 Toyota Racing LMP1 Toyota TS040 Hybrid Toyota 3.7 L V8 (Hybrid) SIL SPA LMS NÜR COA FUJ SHA BHR 6th 79

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics 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 SEB LBH LGA DET WGL MOS ELK COA PET 27th 27

Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results (key)

Supercar 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 SWE CAN FRA LAT USA GER RSA 29th 0