Alexander Wurz will retire from F1 at the end of the year.
The Austrian’s future at Williams has been under doubt as he has struggled to match team mate Nico Rosberg’s pace.
He made the decision to retire following the Canadian Grand Prix, where he finished third.
Wurz made his F1 debut halfway through 1997, standing in for Gerhard Berger at Benetton. He finished third in his third event at Silverstone before handing the car back to Berger.
He joined the team full-time in 1998 but found an outfit in decline. He left after 2000 and became McLaren’s test driver.
He made a single race start for McLaren at Imola in 2005, finishing third once again, but then returned to the test role.
Wurz still hankered after a race seat and switched to Williams for 2006 as their test driver, before stepping up to the race team for 2007. Although he often failed to match Nico Rosberg’s pace he did finish third in the Canadian Grand Prix.
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Tags: f1 / formula one / formula 1 / grand prix / motor sport
Ratboy
7th October 2007, 8:52
I’ve done it again, last year i bought a Albers hat and hes gone, so this year i bought a Wurz hat now hes going as well, who should i go for next??
Vertigo
7th October 2007, 9:38
Ratboy:
Where the hell did you get an Albers hat?
Why did you get a Albers hat?
Shame about Alex, he’s a nice guy. Perhaps Fisichella will get that Williams seat if Alonso returns to Renault.
Ratboy
7th October 2007, 9:45
I support some of the lesser supported drivers such as Wurz and Albers, plus they are cheaper to buy,
I don’t think Fisi would go to Williams, i think Williams might go Liuzzi or Piquet Jnr
Alianora La Canta
7th October 2007, 10:47
Vertigo, you could get 2007 Albers hats from the Spyker online shop from just after the US GP. You had to be quick though, since he was only at Spyker for another two races. As to why, I think Ratboy came up with a good answer there.
Personally, I seem to be in the habit of waiting until drivers have left F1 before getting their merchandise…
Returning to Wurz, I think he’s done a good job with set-up and some races, today being a case in point – but he never did get to grips with qualifying. As a result, I wasn’t too surprised by his seat being under threat, but thought he should be kept on the Williams strength somehow. Wurz as chief tester would be great news for Williams, especially if they net a good replacement. Who that replacement would be is something I have no idea about yet.
Number 38
7th October 2007, 14:31
Wurz is worth too much as a tester to merely throw away, he should be retained. Like so many others I too root for some junior drivers, Davidson for one, but he seems to have trouble in traffic. He out qualifies Sato but within the first two or three laps of traffic we find him loosing places. In the clear he’s fast!
I’ll qualify that, as fast as a Super Aguri can get! Like so many F1 drivers he’ll need 3 to 5 years and a better car to become a star driver.
oliver
7th October 2007, 14:57
Coming out now that Wurz had simply wanted to retire after the Canadian Grand Prix, its easier to understand why he is racing almost half heartedly. Had he planned to retire at the end of the season the perhaps he would have felt a need to improve on his performance. If not for the complexities of contractual obligations, it would have been prefarable to have just allowed him to leave.
As for Davidson, I cant say I’m surprised by his performance, considering the four years he has spent pounding that car test after test, in a way, Sato was the under dog in the car. All he just needs now is a little more luck and he will be in the points, time is running out though, one last chance then.
Robert McKay
7th October 2007, 16:00
“If not for the complexities of contractual obligations, it would have been prefarable to have just allowed him to leave.”
I wonder if Frank Williams had any idea Wurz came to this decision after Montreal, because in such a tight midfield he’d probably hav replaced him with someone who really wanted the drive rather than just killing time to see out a contract.
After the last couple of races Liuzzi must have boosted his chances of getting a Williams drive. I hope they don’t give it to Kazuki Nakajima, he’s not nearly ready for it yet.
oliver
7th October 2007, 16:27
Button started out at 20yrs, Vettel too, and not doin too bad, dont know how old Nakajima is, but why not assuming of course its because he has the ability
Robert McKay
7th October 2007, 20:40
I don’t mean ready in age, I mean ready in performance: he’s been erratic in GP2 and needs another season to smooth off some of his rough corners a bit.
John F
8th October 2007, 0:30
Wurz has looked so relaxed the past few races I do believe that he made the decision in Canada. Does anyone have any ideas on who will replace him. By the way with everything that Williams has done for him I am sure that he told Williams so that they would have time to recruite a replacement. Williams would also be foolish to let him go altogether. He will be their top test driver I am sure.