Patrick Friesacher  Born: 26.09.80  Birthplace:Wolfsberg, Austria  Team: Minardi  2006 Car Number: 21  Last Season: Did not race  GP Pedigree (After British GP)  Starts: 11  Victories: 0  Poles: 0  Fastest Laps: 0  Points: 3  GP Debut: 2005, Australian GP, Minardi   Five-year Stats

To say Patrick has bank managers to thank for his big break isn't an insult but rather the truth.

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart was only hours away from announcing that Nicolas Kiesa would be Minardi's second driver for 2005 when he learnt that the Danish driver didn't have the funds to cover his seat.

The Aussie team boss therefore tore up the contract and promoted Patrick from test driver to race driver in the space of a few minutes. Perhaps the best few minutes of Patrick's fledgling motorsport career.

Having competed in national F3 Championships in 1999 and 2000, Patrick made the step up to the F3000 International Championship the following year with the Red Bull Junior Team.

It took him two seasons to find his feet and he finally achieved his first victory in 2003 at the Hungarian GP.

He went on to finish the campaign in fifth place and retained that position the next year after again winning the Hungarian race while driving for Super Nova/Coloni.

This year, though, the Austrian will need a concerted effort if he wants to avoid following in the footsteps of Minardi's two 2004 drivers and making an exit after just one year.

Formula One Career:

Background:

2004:	FIA F3000 International Championship, Super Nova/Coloni, fifth place overall (first Hungary) .
2003:	FIA F3000 International Championship, Red Bull Jr Team/Coloni, fifth place overall (first Hungary).
2002:	FIA F3000 International Championship, Red Bull Jr Team, 10th place overall (second Monaco).
2001:	FIA F3000 International Championship, Red Bull Jr Team, 13th place overall (three top-six finishes).
2000:	German F3 Championship, sixth place overall (two wins, two pole positions)
1999:	French F3 Championship, Class B, third place overall.
1998:	Formula Campus Series (France), third place overall.
1990-1997:	Karting, races in various local, national and international competitions.