Karl Kling
Born | Giessen, German Empire | 16 September 1910
---|---|
Died | 18 March 2003 Lake Constance, Germany | (aged 92)
Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | German |
Active years | 1954–1955 |
Teams | Mercedes |
Entries | 11 |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 2 |
Career points | 17 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 1 |
First entry | 1954 French Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1955 Italian Grand Prix |
Karl Kling (German pronunciation:
It is said, that he was born too late and too early. Too late to be in the successful Mercedes team of the 1930s and too early to have a real chance in
Kling was instrumental in developing Mercedes' return to international competition in the early 1950s, and his win in the 1952
Having won all world championships they competed for, F1 in 1954 and 1955, plus sports cars in 1955, Mercedes retired from international racing after 1955 to focus on road car development. Kling succeeded Alfred Neubauer as head of Mercedes motorsport, with stock models only. He was in this post during their successful rallying campaigns of the 1960s, occasionally taking the wheel himself. On one such occasion he drove a Mercedes-Benz 220SE to victory in the mighty 1961 trans-African Algiers-Cape Town Rally.
He died in 2003 at the age of 92.[1]
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1954 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes W196 | straight-8
|
ARG | 500 | BEL | FRA 2 |
GBR 7 |
GER 4 |
SUI Ret |
ITA Ret |
ESP 5 |
5th | 12 |
1955 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes W196 | straight-8
|
ARG 4* |
MON | 500 | BEL Ret |
NED Ret |
GBR 3 |
ITA Ret |
11th | 5 |
* Shared drive with Stirling Moss and Hans Herrmann.
Non-championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (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 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1954 | Daimler-Benz AG | Mercedes W196 | straight-8
|
SYR | PAU | LAV | BOR | INT | BAR | CUR | ROM | FRO | COR | BRC | CRY | ROU | CAE | AUG | COR | OUL | RED | PES | SAC | JOE | CAD | BER 1 |
GOO | DTT |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1952 | Daimler-Benz AG
|
Hans Klenk | Mercedes-Benz W194 | S 3.0 |
DNF | DNF | |
1953 | SpA Alfa Romeo | Fritz Riess | Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 CM | S5.0 | 133 | DNF (Transmission) | |
1955 | Daimler Benz AG
|
Andre Simon | Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR | S3.0 | 130 | DNF | DNF |
References
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
- "DRIVERS: KARL KLING". GrandPrix.com. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- "Mercedes Racing Driver Karl Kling Dies". Automobile. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
Further reading
- Karl Kling, G. Molter, Pursuit of Victory (Bodley Head, London, 1956)