Born: 2/2/83 Nationality: Austrian Team: Jaguar First GP: Australia 2004 Best result: 9th 2004 position: 16th Previous teams: n/a

Christian Klien came into Formula One as an unknown quantity and he has struggled to keep his head above water.

The Austrian had never driven an F1 car when he stepped into the Jaguar for a test drive at Valencia last November.

He impressed team-mate Mark Webber that day, but his big break can be explained at least in part by the sponsorship he brings from Red Bull.

Klien has trailed in Webber's wake, and has even suffered his team boss saying it was a mistake to give him a drive.

Jaguar finally admitted in the summer that Klien and the team would have been better served by taking him on as test driver and employing a more experienced driver as Webber's partner.

Their decision to take on Klien underlines just how short of funds the team were left by Ford - and emphasises how lukewarm the US car giant was about F1 even before it pulled the plug in September.

Whether Klien can rescue his career after such an inauspicious start remains to be seen.