Ferdinand Zvonimir von Habsburg


Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard von Habsburg-Lothringen, known colloquially as Ferdinand Habsburg, is an Austrian motor racing driver and the eldest son of Karl von Habsburg. Habsburg competes in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. In November 2017, he finished 4th in the 2017 Macau Grand Prix after crashing at the final corner of the last lap whilst attempting to complete an overtake for the lead. He has also raced in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship.

Racing career

Karting

Habsburg began his racing career at the age of 14 with the Austrian team, Speedworld Academy. He has worn racing number 62 since the beginning of his karting career. In 2014 after 4 years spent in ROTAX Junior category, winning multiple championship titles, he switched to Rotax DD2. He qualified three times for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals
;Results
10th place in the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in New Orleans, USA
In 2014, Habsburg made his début in single seaters, taking part in the Formula Renault 1.6 NEC Championship with Lechner Racing. He finished 4th with a 100% finishing rate in 15 races.

Toyota Racing Series

For 2015, Habsburg contested New Zealand's Toyota Racing Series in January and February 2015 with Victory Motor Racing, finishing 11th in the championship and 5th in the rookie class with two podium finishes. He would return to the series with Giles Motorsport for 2016 and finished fourth in the championship behind Lando Norris, Jehan Daruvala and Brendon Leitch with four podium finishes.

Formula Renault 2.0 NEC

For 2015, Habsburg decided to switch to the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC for Fortec Motorsports.

FIA European Formula 3

For 2017, Habsburg stepped up to the FIA European F3 Championship, racing for Carlin. He had a highly successful season, taking four podiums and a first series win at Spa. However his most impressive drive came in the end of year Macau Grand Prix. In the main race, he battled hard for the lead with Brazilian Sérgio Sette Câmara, but was unable to pass. On the final lap, Habsburg took the lead around the outside of the final corner at Fisherman's Bend, but braked too late and understeered into the barriers on the exit of the corner, with Sette Câmara doing exactly the same thing, handing the race win to Câmara's teammate Dan Ticktum. Habsburg eventually limped across the line fourth despite broken front suspension. Nonetheless, the Austrian would gain much praise from both his team boss and journalists for his final lap maneuver, along with his great season as a whole. He is returning to the series again in 2018.

Endurance Racing

Habsburg competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual with Mahle Racing, driving the Aston Martin Vantage GTE alongside former IndyCar driver Robert Wickens and sim-racers Jimmy Broadbent and Kevin Rotting. They classified in 46th place.

Art car

Together with his mother Francesca von Habsburg, Habsburg launched a unique interpretation of racing and art in 2014. The famous Swiss designer group, Lang-Baumann, designed and painted his race car.

Racing record

Career summary

† As von Habsburg was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score championship points.

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

YearEntrantEngine123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930DCPoints
2017CarlinVolkswagenSIL
1
12		SIL
2
13		SIL
3
12		MNZ
1
3		MNZ
2
5		MNZ
3
5		PAU
1
8		PAU
2
8		PAU
3
6		HUN
1
15		HUN
2
10		HUN
3
12		NOR
1
Ret		NOR
2
15		NOR
3
8		SPA
1
8		SPA
2
1		SPA
3
6		ZAN
1
4		ZAN
2
6		ZAN
3
2		NÜR
1
5		NÜR
2
6		NÜR
3
Ret		RBR
1
6		RBR
2
9		RBR
3
4		HOC
1
3		HOC
2
20		HOC
3
Ret		7th187
2018CarlinVolkswagenPAU
1
11		PAU
2
11		PAU
3
Ret		HUN
1
Ret		HUN
2
8		HUN
3
15		NOR
1
18		NOR
2
5		NOR
3
9		ZAN
1
14		ZAN
2
5		ZAN
3
7		SPA
1
Ret		SPA
2
10		SPA
3
12		SIL
1
13		SIL
2
13		SIL
3
9		MIS
1
12		MIS
2
7		MIS
3
3		NÜR
1
Ret		NÜR
2
10		NÜR
3
11		RBR
1
5		RBR
2
8		RBR
3
6		HOC
1
Ret		HOC
2
12		HOC
3
6		13th87

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results

YearEntrantCar123456789101112131415161718DCPoints
2019R-Motorsport IIAston Martin Vantage DTMHOC
1
Ret		HOC
2
13		ZOL
1
9		ZOL
2
Ret		MIS
1
14		MIS
2
12		NOR
1
10		NOR
2
11		ASS
1
13		ASS
2
12		ZOL
1
15†		ZOL
2
11		LAU
1
15		LAU
2
Ret		NÜR
1
11		NÜR
2
15		HOC
1
DNS		HOC
2
11		18th3
2020Audi Sport Team WRTAudi RC8 2.0 TFSI I-4t

† Driver did not finish, but was classified as he completed 90% of the race distance.

Personal life

Habsburg was born on 21 June 1997, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and is an Austrian citizen. His parents are Karl von Habsburg and Francesca von Habsburg. His grandparents are Otto von Habsburg, the last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, and Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen. His brother-in-law is Formula E driver Jérôme d'Ambrosio. He was baptised on 20 September 1997 in Zagreb by Cardinal Franjo Kuharić. He was also given the traditional Croatian name Zvonimir. He is the brother of Eleonore von Habsburg and Gloria von Habsburg. Ferdinand is the heir apparent to the headship of the House of Habsburg, currently held by his father. He is informally titled as an Imperial and Royal Archduke of Austria. However, the titles and honorifics are unofficial as Austria is a republic with all royal titles being legally abolished in 1918.