Planet-F1

Christijan Albers

Wednesday 14th February 2007

Christijan Albers's F1 career came to an end after the 2007 British GP, following non-payment from his sponsors to Spyker.

Albers enjoyed his first taste of success in 1997 when he was crowned the Dutch National Kart Champion before moving to the German F3 Championship the following year.

It took just two seasons before once again he was at the very top, winning the title in 1999.

After one year in the F3000 International Championship he switched to DTM and also became the official test and reserve driver for Minardi.

He retained that roll in 2002 while still competing in Germany.

2003 was a successful season for the Dutchman, who finished runner-up despite scoring the most victories in DTM. He continued the next year, finishing third overall.

Having shown obvious signs of talent throughout his motorsport career, Albers entered F1 with Minardi in 2005 and put together some respectable performances.

He scored points and beat his team-mate in the six-car United States Grand Prix.

But even though that was the Dutchman's only point-scoring result as Minardi once again struggled to find any pace, his performances were good enough to earn him a Midland seat for 2006.

It proved to be a tough second season for the Dutchman as the team ran on a limited budget and he often found himself battling against the Super Aguris and his own team-mate.

Albers, though, did get the upper hand over Monteiro and earned himself a new contract with the team who will be known as Spyker in 2007 after being sold once again.

But despite the new owners Spyker's fortunes did not improve. Albers season began with two retirements, but even when he managed to finish in Bahrain and Spain he was unable to get his car into the points.

There were again back-to-back retirements in Monaco and Canada, followed by another disappointing performance in the United States.

At the French GP, though, it was a "rookie" error that resulted in Albers' retirement. He ignored the lollipop telling him not to leave the pits during a pitstop, driving off with part of the fuel rig still attached. Albers expressed relief that nobody was hurt, but he received a €5,000 penalty for dangerous driving.

His mistake, though, angered the men in charge with technical director Mike Gascoyne saying he was mystified that a driver with experience could make such a rookie error.

One race later, the British GP, Albers F1 career came to end with another point-less finish.

On July 10, 2007, he was released from his Spyker contract, due to a lack of sponsorship money, which would have compromised the team's development programme.