MarkusWinkelhock

Markus Winkelhock, born on June 13, 1980, is a German professional racing driver with a notable lineage in motorsport, being the son of Manfred Winkelhock and nephew of Joachim Winkelhock, both of whom competed in Formula One during the 1980s. While his Formula One career was brief, it included a remarkable performance at the 2007 European Grand Prix, where he led for several laps. Beyond Formula One, Winkelhock has achieved significant success in sports and touring car racing, notably winning the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2012 alongside his teammate Marc Basseng.

Early Career

Winkelhock's racing journey began in junior formulae, where he demonstrated early promise. Between 1998 and 2000, he secured race victories in various series, including Formula König, German Formula Renault, and the Formula Renault Eurocup. His progression continued into the German Formula 3 Championship, which later transitioned into the F3 Euroseries. During his tenure from 2001 to 2003, Winkelhock consistently performed, finishing fifth overall in 2001 with three wins, seventh in 2002 with one victory, and fourth in 2003, adding two more wins to his record. In 2004, Winkelhock made a temporary switch to touring car racing, competing in the DTM with an AMG-Mercedes CLK for the Persson team. However, this season proved challenging, as he failed to score any points. The following year, 2005, saw him return to single-seater competition in the World Series by Renault with Draco. This period was marked by both success and setbacks, as he secured three victories but also experienced incidents, including crashes during qualifying and on the first lap of the race at Monaco.

Formula 1 Debut and Formative Years

Winkelhock's entry into Formula One began with a test and reserve driver role for the Midland F1 team in 2006, following its acquisition from Jordan Grand Prix. In this capacity, he participated in Friday test sessions at several Grands Prix, including Bahrain, Australia, Germany, and Hungary, gaining valuable experience with the team. For the 2007 season, he was re-signed by the same outfit, which had by then been rebranded as Spyker F1. During this period, he also made a brief return to the DTM, competing in three races. His opportunity to make a full Grand Prix start arose unexpectedly after Christijan Albers' departure from Spyker following the 2007 British Grand Prix. On July 18, Winkelhock was confirmed as Albers' replacement for the European Grand Prix. This deal was explicitly for a single race, with Sakon Yamamoto already slated to take over the seat for the remainder of the season.

The 2007 European Grand Prix: A Singular Performance

The 2007 European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring became the defining moment of Markus Winkelhock's Formula One career. Starting from the last position on the 22-car grid, alongside his teammate Adrian Sutil, Winkelhock's race began with an unconventional strategic call. On the formation lap, as the rest of the field prepared for a dry start, the Spyker team made a last-second decision to call him into the pits to switch to full wet tyres. This bold gamble paid off almost immediately. As torrential rain began to fall, nearly all other competitors were forced to pit at the end of the first lap. Winkelhock, already on the correct tyres, capitalized on this, moving into the lead by passing cars as they entered the pits and even overtaking Kimi Räikkönen on track as the Finn cautiously made his way to the pit lane. By the end of the second lap, Winkelhock had established a commanding 19-second lead. This advantage grew further, reaching 33 seconds over Ferrari's Felipe Massa by lap 4. However, the escalating intensity of the rain led the stewards to first deploy the safety car and then, following a series of spins in the treacherous first corner behind the safety car, to suspend the race entirely. When the race eventually restarted after the rain had eased, Winkelhock and his team faced another critical decision. Despite a drying track, they opted to remain on full wet tyres, hoping for further showers, and acknowledging that faster cars would likely overtake him regardless. This second gamble did not yield the same success. Having restarted from the lead, Winkelhock quickly lost positions as the track dried. His race ultimately concluded on lap 15 when he was forced to retire due to hydraulic problems, which manifested as a small fire. Despite the retirement, he had led the race for a total of six laps. His performance at the Nürburgring etched his name into Formula One's record books. According to Speed Channel commentator Bob Varsha, Markus Winkelhock holds the unique distinction of being the only driver in Formula One history to start last on the grid and lead the race in his debut Grand Prix. Furthermore, due to the red flag and subsequent restart, he is also the only driver in Formula One history to start both last and first on the grid in the same Grand Prix. Despite this extraordinary and memorable showing, the Spyker team did not extend his drive for the remainder of the 2007 season, instead proceeding with Super Aguri test driver Sakon Yamamoto.

Post-Formula 1 Career and Endurance Success

Following his single Formula One outing, Markus Winkelhock returned to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). He competed in the series for Team Rosberg from 2008 to 2010, finishing 12th in 2008, 10th in 2009, and 12th in 2010. His career then shifted towards international GT racing. In 2011, Winkelhock joined the All-Inkl.com Münnich Motorsport team to compete in the FIA GT1 World Championship, driving a Lamborghini alongside Marc Basseng. This partnership proved highly successful, as the duo went on to win the FIA GT1 World Championship the following year, 2012, with the team having transitioned to the Mercedes SLS due to changes in regulations. Winkelhock was initially slated to move with Münnich Motorsport to the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) for the 2013 season. However, he ultimately departed the team before the season commenced, choosing instead to concentrate on his GT racing commitments. His seat was subsequently filled by the defending champion, Robert Huff. Since 2013, Winkelhock has largely focused on endurance racing, establishing himself in the Blancpain Endurance Series. A highlight of this period was his victory in the prestigious 24 Hours of Nürburgring sportscar race in 2017. He also made a brief, one-off DTM comeback midway through the 2021 season, driving for Abt Sportsline at the Nürburgring round as a replacement for Sophia Flörsch, who had conflicting Le Mans commitments.