Michael Christensen (racing driver)
| Michael Christensen | |
|---|---|
Christensen at the 2024 6 Hours of Fuji | |
| Nationality | |
| Born | Michael Klitgaard Christensen 28 August 1990 Karlslunde, Denmark |
| FIA World Endurance Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2015 |
| Current team | Porsche Penske Motorsport |
| Categorisation | |
| Former teams | Porsche Team Manthey, Dempsey-Proton Racing, Porsche GT Team |
| Starts | 72 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Poles | 11 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| Best finish | 1st in 2018–19 |
| Previous series | |
| 2013 2012 2011 2010–11 2008–09 | Porsche Supercup Porsche Carrera Cup Germany ADAC GT Masters GP3 Series Formula BMW Europe |
Michael Klitgaard Christensen (born 28 August 1990) is a Danish racing driver. He is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Porsche in the Hypercar class in the No. 5 Porsche 963.
Early career
[edit]Karting
[edit]Born in Karlslunde, Christensen had a very successful karting career, winning the 2004 Nordic ICA Junior Championship[2]. The following year he gathered both Nordic and European[3] titles in ICA Junior class. For 2006, Christensen graduated to Formula A and he achieved a second place in the Formula A World Championship[4] and was twice champion in the German Kart Championship[5] Winner of the Macau Int. Kart Grand prix Formula A. In 2007, he repeated as German Kart Champion[5] and also won the KF1 South Garda Winter Cup.
Formula BMW Europe
[edit]Christensen made his open-wheel racing debut in the 2008 Formula BMW Europe season at Barcelona which supported the 2008 Spanish Grand Prix, where he was involved in a potentially serious incident, flipping his car.[6] He finished the season in sixth place and as the top rookie in the rookie standings.[7]
Christensen moved to Mücke Motorsport for the 2009 season. He started the season as the strongest candidate to win the championship, and a victory in the first race of the season was promising. He finished the season in fourth place, although he lost results from five races including three wins, after his team lost an appeal over a breach of technical regulations[8] was rejected by the FIA.[9]
GP3 Series
[edit]In 2010, Christensen became the first driver to join MW Arden for the 2010 GP3 Series season.[10]
Sportscar career
[edit]Porsche
[edit]
In 2012, Christensen joined the Porsche young driver program. He resulted seventh in the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany[11] and sixth in the 2013 Porsche Supercup.[12]
Christensen became a factory driver in 2014, racing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship joining Patrick Long in the GTLM class, winning 12 Hours of Sebring and North American Endurance Cup. In 2015, he competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship together with Richard Lietz, joining the Manthey Racing team in the GTE-Pro class. Winning the manufactures championship, and finishing fourth in the drivers championship.[13] In the 2018–2019 FIA World Endurance Championship, he in succeeded winning 24 Hours of Le Mans for Porsche.[14]
Hypercar career
[edit]This section needs to be updated. (December 2025) |
For the 2023 World Endurance Championship season, Christensen was named in the lineup for Porsche Penske Motorsport, partnering Dane Cameron and Frédéric Makowiecki.[15] For the 2024 WEC season, Christensen would again drive the Porsche 963 for Penske, alongside Makowiecki and Matt Campbell.[16]
Personal life
[edit]Christensen's hobbies are improving on personal fitness, and training,[17] while his favourite driver is Michael Schumacher,[17] and his favourite circuit is the Nürburgring.[citation needed]
Racing record
[edit]Career summary
[edit]
† – As Christensen was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points. * Season still in progress.
Complete GP3 Series results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | MW Arden | CAT FEA Ret |
CAT SPR 16 |
IST FEA 13 |
IST SPR 11 |
VAL FEA Ret |
VAL SPR 14 |
SIL FEA Ret |
SIL SPR 15 |
HOC FEA Ret |
HOC SPR 10 |
HUN FEA 10 |
HUN SPR Ret |
SPA FEA 10 |
SPA SPR 23 |
MNZ FEA 15 |
MNZ SPR 10 |
31st | 0 |
| 2011 | RSC Mücke Motorsport | IST FEA 7 |
IST SPR 2 |
CAT FEA 18 |
CAT SPR 12 |
VAL FEA Ret |
VAL SPR Ret |
SIL FEA Ret |
SIL SPR 13 |
NÜR FEA 26† |
NÜR SPR 12 |
HUN FEA 2 |
HUN SPR 13 |
SPA FEA 15 |
SPA SPR 4 |
MNZ FEA 12 |
MNZ SPR 11 |
11th | 19 |
| Source:[18] | |||||||||||||||||||
Complete Porsche Supercup results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Konrad Motorsport | BHR | BHR | MON 20 |
VAL | SIL | HOC 8 |
HUN | HUN | SPA | MNZ | NC† | 0† |
| 2013 | DAMS | CAT 5 |
MON 25 |
SIL 3 |
NÜR 1 |
HUN 10 |
SPA 3 |
MNZ 8 |
YMC 10 |
YMC 7 |
6th | 95 |
† As Christensen was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
Complete 24 Hours of Nürburgring results
[edit]Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
[edit](key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
[edit]Complete 24 Hours of Spa results
[edit]| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) | Pro | 546 | 4th | 4th | ||
| 2019 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2) | Pro | 363 | 1st | 1st | ||
| 2020 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2) | Pro | 522 | 13th | 13th | ||
| 2021 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2) | Pro | 254 | DNF | DNF | ||
| 2022 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2) | Pro | 221 | DNF | DNF |
References
[edit]- ↑ "2014 GT3 Driver Categorisation" (PDF). fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
- ↑ Control, Soft. "Classement Tours/Temps - Finale 5". www.cikfia.com. Archived from the original on 2008-01-03. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ↑ Control, Soft. "Classement Tours/Temps - Finale 9". www.cikfia.com. Archived from the original on 2008-01-03. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ↑ Control, Soft. "Classement Tours/Temps - Finale 8". www.cikfia.com. Archived from the original on 2008-01-01. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- 1 2 DMSB – Deutscher Motor Sport Bund e.V. "Hall of Fame - DKM". www.kart-dm.de. Archived from the original on 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ↑ Video from the accident[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Formula BMW Europe, 12-14.9.08: Rounds 15 + 16, Monza (IT)". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ↑ "Mücke Motorsport suspended from Formula BMW Europe races". bmw-motorsport.com. Formula BMW. 2009-08-20. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "FIA International Court of Appeal ruling confirms judicial decisions". bmw-motorsport.com. Formula BMW. 2009-11-17. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Beer, Matt (2010-01-08). "MW Arden signs first GP3 driver". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
- ↑ Magazine, Speedsport. "Porsche Carrera Cup Germany - 2012: Point standings". www.speedsport-magazine.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ↑ Magazine, Speedsport. "Porsche Supercup - 2013: Point standings". www.speedsport-magazine.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ↑ Magazine, Speedsport. "FIA World Endurance Championship - Season 2015". www.speedsport-magazine.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ↑ Dagys, John (2013-11-27). "Michael Christensen Named Porsche Factory Driver". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 2013-12-14.
- ↑ James, Richard (17 December 2022). "Porsche clarifies driver lineups for IMSA and WEC". racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing Inc. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ↑ "Full World Endurance Championship 2024 entry list". autosport.com. 2024-02-19. Archived from the original on 2024-05-30. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
- 1 2 "Formula BMW Europe. 2009 Championship Guide" (PDF). bmw-motorsport.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-09-20. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
- 1 2 3 4 "Michael Christensen Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ "Michael Christensen – 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ "Michael Christensen – 2015 Tudor United SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ "Michael Christensen – 2016 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ "Michael Christensen – 2017 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ "Michael Christensen – 2021 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ "Michael Christensen – 2023 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ "Michael Christensen – 2024 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ "Michael Christensen". FIA World Endurance Championship. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ "Michael Christensen". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Michael Christensen career summary at DriverDB.com
- 1990 births
- Living people
- Danish racing drivers
- Formula BMW Europe drivers
- GP3 Series drivers
- FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy drivers
- 24 Hours of Daytona drivers
- 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
- Rolex Sports Car Series drivers
- Porsche Supercup drivers
- ADAC GT Masters drivers
- WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers
- FIA World Endurance Championship drivers
- People from Greve Municipality
- Arden International drivers
- Porsche Motorsports drivers
- Sportspeople from Region Zealand
- ART Grand Prix drivers
- Formula BMW Pacific drivers
- American Le Mans Series drivers
- GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup drivers
- Double R Racing drivers
- Josef Kaufmann Racing drivers
- Mücke Motorsport drivers
- DAMS drivers
- KCMG drivers
- Nürburgring 24 Hours drivers
- Motaworld Racing drivers
- Karting World Championship drivers
- Team Penske drivers
- Porsche Carrera Cup Germany drivers
- 24 Hours of Spa drivers
- Manthey Racing drivers
- Proton Competition drivers
- AO Racing drivers
- GT World Challenge America drivers
- CORE Autosport drivers
- 12 Hours of Sebring drivers
- Petit Le Mans drivers
- Dinamic Motorsport drivers
- Konrad Motorsport drivers