Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard Habsburg-Lothringen (born 21 June 1997) is an Austrian motor racing driver and

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to the headship of the

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine () originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Habsburg monarchy, Austria, later successively List of Bohemian monarchs, Queen ...

. He is driving in the

FIA World Endurance Championship The FIA World Endurance Championship, abbreviated as WEC, is a world championship for automobile endurance racing organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The se ...

with

Alpine Endurance Team Signatech, currently competing as the Alpine Endurance Team, is a French auto racing team and racing car constructor that competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Signatech has been a long-term partner for Automobiles Alpine, Alpine since ...

and

European Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

with Nielsen Racing. Habsburg won the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

and the

in the

LMP2 A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series, and Asian Le M ...

class alongside Charles Milesi and

Robin Frijns Robin Christiaan Maria Frijns (born 7 August 1991) is a Dutch racing driver. He most recently raced in Formula E with Envision Racing, and in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Team WRT as part of the BMW in motorsport, BMW factory driver l ...

in 2021.

Early life and family

Ferdinand Habsburg was born on 21 June 1997 to

Karl von Habsburg Karl von Habsburg (given names: ''Karl Thomas Robert Maria Franziskus Georg Bahnam''; born 11 January 1961) is an Austrian politician and the head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the former royal house of the defunct Austro-Hungarian thrones ...

and Francesca von Thyssen-Bornemisza. A member of the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

, his paternal grandparents were

Otto von Habsburg Otto von Habsburg (, ; 20 November 1912 4 July 2011) was the last crown prince of Austria-Hungary from 1916 until the dissolution of the empire in November 1918. In 1922, he became the pretender to the former thrones, head of the House of Habs ...

, the last

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, and

Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen Regina von Habsburg (née Princess Regina Helene Elisabeth Margarete of Saxe-Meiningen; 6 January 1925 – 3 February 2010), also known by the traditional royal title of Archduchess Regina of Austria, was a German-born Austrian social worker. She ...

. His maternal grandparents are

Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza Hans Heinrich August Gábor Tasso Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon, Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza (13 April 1921 – 27 April 2002), was a Dutch-born Swiss industrialist and art collector. A member of the Thyssen family, he had a Hungarian title and ...

and

Fiona Campbell-Walter Fiona Frances Elaine Campbell-Walter, formerly Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva, (born 25 June 1932) is a New Zealand-born British model. She had a successful career in the 1950s and was photographed by Henry Clarke and Cec ...

, descendant of the Campbell baronets of Airds – his cousin,

Jamie Campbell-Walter Jamie Oliver Campbell-Walter is a British professional racing driver. He was born in Oban, Scotland on 16 December 1972. He won the FIA GT Championship in 2000 and took a World Endurance Championship title in 2013 as an Aston Martin Racing ...

, is also a racing driver and doubles as Habsburg's manager. Habsburg was baptised on 20 September 1997 in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

by Cardinal

Franjo Kuharić Franjo Kuharić (15 April 1919 – 11 March 2002) was a Croatian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Zagreb from 1970 until his resignation in 1997. Made a cardinal in 1983, he was known as the "Rock of Croatia" because of his defe ...

. His godparents were his uncle

Georg von Habsburg Georg von HabsburgThe Habsburgs' titles are not recognised anymore in Austria or in Hungary, where he is referred to as Georg Habsburg-Lothringen, which is his legal name (see Austrian nobility and Statute IV of 1947 regarding the abolition of c ...

; Alois-Konstantin, 9th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg; Queen Margarita of Bulgaria; and

Agnes Husslein Agnes Husslein, also Agnes Husslein-Arco, (born 22 May 1954) is an Austrian art historian and art manager. Life Husslein was born the daughter of Felicitas (''née'' Boeckl) and Carl Heinrich Arco in Vienna (1920–1978).Arco Arco may refer to: Places * Arco, Trentino, a town in Trentino, Italy * Arco, Idaho, in the United States * Arco, Minnesota, a city in the United States * ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California, home of the Sacramento Kings Companies * ARCO (b ...

). He was also given the traditional Croatian name

Zvonimir Zvonimir is a Croatian male given name, used since the Middle Ages. The name was popular in the former Yugoslavia among the Croatian people because Dmitar Zvonimir was the Croatian king, who ruled from 1075 to 1089. People named Zvonimir * Dem ...

Andrea und Ferdinand Zvonimir von Habsburg

He is the brother of

Eleonore von Habsburg Eleonore von Habsburg-Lothringen (''Eleonore Maria del Pilar Iona Christina Jelena''; born 28 February 1994) is an Austrian jewelry designer, gemologist, model, and member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Early life and background Eleonore ...

and Gloria von Habsburg. His brother-in-law (Eleanore's husband) is former driver

Jérôme d'Ambrosio Jérôme d'Ambrosio (; born 27 December 1985) is a Belgian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Since October 2024, d'Ambrosio has served as deputy team principal of Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari in F ...

. Ferdinand is the

to the headship of the

, held by his father on 1 January 2007. His titles and honorifics are unofficial as Austria is a

republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

with all royal titles being legally abolished in 1918.

Early 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 four years spent in ROTAX Junior category, winning multiple championship titles, he switched to Rotax DD2. He also qualified three times for the

Rotax Max Challenge The Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals (RMC) is a kart racing series owned and organized worldwide by Rotax, BRP-Rotax and its distributors, approved and in compliance with Commission Internationale de Karting, CIK-FIA. Competition takes plac ...

Grand Finals, scoring a best result of eleventh in 2013.

Formula Renault 1.6 NEC

In 2014, Habsburg made his début in single seaters, taking part in the Formula Renault 1.6 NEC Championship with

Lechner Racing Lechner Racing, formerly known as Walter Lechner Racing is an auto racing team based in Austria. It is also known as the Lechner Racing School. Lechner Racing has established the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East and organizes the series as a ...

. He finished fourth with a 100% finishing rate in 15 races.

Toyota Racing Series

For 2015, Habsburg contested New Zealand's

Toyota Racing Series The Formula Regional Oceania Championship is New Zealand's premier formula racing category. The series includes races for every major trophy in New Zealand circuit racing including the New Zealand Motor Cup and the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy. ...

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 Lando Norris (; born 13 November 1999) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for McLaren. Norris was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with McLaren, and has won Formula One Grands Prix, Grands Prix ...

Jehan Daruvala Jehan Daruvala (Marathi language, Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA, ͡ʒeˈɦɑn daːruːvaːlaː born 1 October 1998) is an Indian racing driver who last raced in the Formula E for Maserati MSG Racing. He was a protégé of the Force India ...

and

Brendon Leitch Brendon Alistair Leitch (born 28 November 1995), is a New Zealand motor racing driver. Career Leitch began car racing in the Formula Ford category in 2009, racing in the South Island Formula Ford Championship. The following year, he would conte ...

with four podium finishes, which included his first win in car racing in the season opener at

Mike Pero Motorsport Park Euromarque Motorsport Park (often referred to as Ruapuna) is a permanent motor racing circuit owned and operated by the Canterbury Car Club Inc on land leased from the Christchurch City Council. It is located at 107 Hasketts Road in Templeton ...

. Habsburg contested his final season in the series in

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, this time driving for

M2 Competition M2 Competition are a motorsport team based in New Zealand and Belgium. History Founded in 2010, M2 Competition began partaking in the New Zealand-based single-seater championship the Castrol Toyota Racing Series in 2011, with Ivan Lukashevich ...

. The Austrian finished the campaign in eighth place, scoring two podiums.

Formula Renault 2.0 NEC

For 2015, Habsburg decided to switch to the

Formula Renault Northern European Cup The Formula Renault Northern European Cup (formerly Formula Renault 2.0 NEC) was a Formula Renault 2.0 championship originally held in Northern Europe (Germany, Netherlands and Belgium), but has expanded over the years to the whole of Europe. Th ...

with

Fortec Motorsports Fortec Motorsport Ltd. is a motor-racing team that races in the GB3 Championship, GB4 Championship, and F4 British Championship. The team was bought in 1995 by current owner Richard Dutton. Past drivers for the team include Juan Pablo Montoya, ...

. Having only raced in the first five rounds in the series with a best finish of fifth at his home event at the

Red Bull Ring The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Austria, Spielberg, Styria, Austria. The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from t ...

, the Austrian ended up 19th in the standings.

Euroformula Open Championship

Habsburg made his debut in the

Euroformula Open Championship The Euroformula Open Championship (formerly the Spanish Formula Three Championship, European F3 Open Championship) is a junior formula racing series based in Spain. It was one of six national and international Formula Three championships in Europe ...

in the 2015 season finale at the

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya () is a motorsport race track in Montmeló, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is seen as an all-rounder circuit. The track has stands ...

, where he finished both races in the top ten. The following year Habsburg committed to the series full-time, racing for

Drivex School Drivex is an auto racing team and school based in Spain. The team was founded by Pedro de la Rosa and Miguel Ángel de Castro in 2005 as a racing school. The racing team is run by Miguel Ángel de Castro. They compete in the F4 Spanish Championsh ...

. Having lost ground to the more experienced title-favourite

Leonardo Pulcini Leonardo Pulcini (born 25 June 1998, in Rome) is an Italian racing driver and the 2016 Euroformula Open champion. Career Karting Born in Rome, Pulcini began karting professionally in 2012, and came 7th in the KF3 category in the Italian ACI Ka ...

during the first few rounds, Habsburg was able to achieve his first race win in the series at the

Circuit Paul Ricard The Circuit Paul Ricard () is a French motorsport race track built in 1969 at Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille, with finance from pastis magnate Paul Ricard. Ricard wanted to experience the challenge of building a racetrack. The circuit has ...

. He followed that up by scoring seven podiums across the five remaining rounds, which included a win in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, and finished second in the standings, with twelve podiums from just 16 races to his credit.

FIA Formula 3 European Championship

2017

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 The Macau Grand Prix (; ) is an annual motorsport road racing event for automobiles and motorcycles held on the Guia Circuit in Macau. The event includes the Formula Regional and Motorcycle Grand Prix title races, with other races for Touri ...

. In the main race, he battled hard for the lead with Brazilian

Sérgio Sette Câmara Sérgio Santos Sette Câmara Filho (born 23 May 1998) is a Brazilians, Brazilian racing driver who currently competes in the 2025 European Le Mans Series with Nielsen Racing. He previously competed in Formula E, having previously raced for Drago ...

, 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 Daniel Charles Anthony Ticktum (born 8 June 1999) is a British racing driver, who competes in Formula E for Kiro Race Co. Born in London, Ticktum began competitive kart racing aged eight, winning several national titles. Graduating to junior f ...

. 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. Ferdinand Habsburg Macau 2019

2018

He returned to the series in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

with Carlin, this time partnering

Sacha Fenestraz Sacha Fenestraz Jules (born 28 July 1999) is a French Argentines, French-Argentine racing driver competing in the 2025 Super Formula Championship, driving for TOM'S, TOM'S Racing. He is the 2017 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 champion. Early caree ...

Nikita Troitskiy Nikita Troitskiy (; born 16 April 1999 in Ekenäs) is a Finnish-born Russian driver. Career Karting Born in Ekenäs, Finland, but raised in St. Petersburg, Troitskiy competed in karting for a number of years after some encouragement from fel ...

and

Ameya Vaidyanathan Ameya Vaidyanathan (born 29 July 1996 in Pune) is an India, Indian racing driver. He last competed in the 2019 Japanese Formula 3 Championship, Japanese Formula 3 Championship for B-Max Racing with Motopark Academy, Motopark. He is best known ...

. However, Habsburg was unable to find the form from the previous year, scoring just a lone podium at Misano and finishing 13th in the championship.

Sportscar career

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

2019

In 2019, Habsburg signed for R-Motorsport II to race the

Aston Martin Vantage DTM The Aston Martin Vantage DTM is a "Class 1 Touring Cars, Class 1" Touring car racing, touring car constructed by the British automotive industry, car manufacturer Aston Martin Racing, Aston Martin for use in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. Th ...

in the

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, commonly abbreviated as the DTM, is a sports car racing series sanctioned by ADAC. The series is based in Germany, with rounds elsewhere in Europe. The series currently races a modified version of Group GT3 gra ...

. He scored two points finishes in

Circuit Zolder The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. History Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, ...

and the

Norisring The Norisring is a street circuit in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as a motorcycle racing venue in 1947 and named in a 1950 competition to win a light motorcycle, the track became known as a sports car racing venue in the 19 ...

and ended up 18th in the driver's championship.

2020

For the 2020 season, Habsburg made the switch to Audi Sport Team WRT racing the

Audi RS5 Turbo DTM The Audi RS5 Turbo DTM is a Class One Touring Car constructed by the German car manufacturer Audi AG for use in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. The car was an updated version of the previous Audi RS5 DTM that had a naturally aspirated engine ...

. This season was comparatively successful for Habsburg as he secured 10 points positions, one of which was a podium in

. This meant that Habsburg finished tenth in the driver's championship with 68 points, beating both of his teammates

Fabio Scherer Fabio Luca Scherer (born 13 June 1999) is a racing driver from Switzerland, currently competing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for HRT Ford Performance. Scherer started his single-seater career in 2016, staying in Formula 4 series for two ...

and

Harrison Newey Harrison William Innes Newey (born 25 July 1998) is a British racing driver and the son of Formula One engineer Adrian Newey. He made his ADAC Formula 4 debut in 2015 with Van Amersfoort Racing Van Amersfoort Racing (; VAR) is an auto racing t ...

eSports

2020

In 2020, Habsburg competed in the

24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual The 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual is an esports 24-hour automobile endurance race. Part of the Le Mans Virtual Series, it simulates the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with drivers competing in Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGT ...

with Mahle Racing, driving the 2018 Aston Martin Vantage GTE alongside former

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...

driver

Robert Wickens Robert Tyler Wickens (born March 13, 1989) is a Canadians, Canadian racing driver from Guelph, Ontario, driving in the Sprint Cup of the IMSA SportsCar Championship for DXDT Racing. In 2009 he finished in second place in the 2009 FIA Formula Two ...

and sim-racers

Jimmy Broadbent James Alan Broadbent (born 13 June 1991) is an English social media personality, commentator, and racing driver. He has over a million subscribers on his YouTube channel, with content related to gaming, sim racing, and real life racing. Broadbent ...

and Kevin Rotting. They classified in 46th place.

Endurance racing

2021

Habsburg started his 2021 campaign by racing in the

Asian Le Mans Series The Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second s ...

with G-Drive Racing. Together with his teammates

Yifei Ye Yifei Ye ( zh, s=叶一飞; born 16 June 2000) is a Chinese racing driver who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for AF Corse. He is the 2021 European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series champion and previously competed in s ...

and Rene Binder he won the drivers' championship, taking two wins along the way. Alongside this, Habsburg raced with

High Class Racing High Class Racing is a Danish auto racing team founded in the early 1990s and currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series. History High Class Racing was founded in the early 1990s initially competin ...

in the

2021 24 Hours of Daytona The 2021 24 Hours of Daytona (formally the 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona) was an endurance sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The event was held at Daytona International Speedway combined road course in ...

alongside

Robert Kubica Robert Józef Kubica (; born 7 December 1984) is a Polish racing driver, racing and rally driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for AF Corse. Kubica competed in Formula One between and , and the World Rally Championship ...

, Dennis Andersen, and Anders Fjordbach. However, they retired from the race due to a gearbox failure. WRT41LM2022

On 26 February, it was confirmed he would compete in the

for

Team WRT W Racing Team (known as Team WRT) is a Belgium, Belgian auto racing team founded in 2009 by engineer and former head of Volkswagen Motorsport René Verbist, racing driver Vincent Vosse, and entrepreneur Yves Weerts. Between 2010 and 2022 the team ...

alongside

and Charles Milesi, driving an

Oreca 07 The Oreca 07 is a Le Mans Prototype built by French manufacturer Oreca to meet the 2017 FIA and ACO LMP2 regulations. It made its official race debut in the opening round of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the 24 Hours of Dayt ...

in the LMP2 class. During the first round in the

6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (formerly the 1000 Kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps) is an endurance race for sports cars held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. History The Spa 24 Hours had been introduced in 1924, and other races f ...

, Habsburg and his team finished tenth and in the following race, the

8 Hours of Portimão 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. Etymology English ''eight'', from Old English '', æhta'', Proto-Germanic ''*ahto'' is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European '' *oḱtṓ(w)-'', and as such cognate wi ...

, his team finished in fourth position. However, it was in the next race, the

6 Hours of Monza The 6 Hours of Monza (formerly the 1,000 Kilometres of Monza and known after 1966 as the Trofeo Filippo Caracciolo) is an Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race, mainly for sports car racing, sports cars, which is held at the Mo ...

that Habsburg clinched his first LMP2 podium, finishing in second place. In round four, that being the

, Habsburg and his Team WRT teammates clinched a dramatic LMP2 class win after their sister Team WRT car suffered a throttle Sensor failure on the final lap whilst in the lead of the race. After a two-month long break the trio won the 6 Hours of Bahrain. The following weekend, Habsburg, Frijns and Milesi clinched the LMP2 title after scoring a third consecutive victory in the series at the 8-hour race at the same venue. Habsburg also became the first Austrian to win the LMP2 title in the World Endurance Championship.

2022

The following year, Habsburg returned to the WEC, driving the 41 car for RealTeam by WRT with

Rui Andrade Rui Andrade may refer to: * Rui Andrade (footballer) (born 1977), Portuguese footballer * Rui Andrade (racing driver) (born 1999), Angolan-Portuguese racing driver {{hndis, Andrade, Rui ...

and

Norman Nato Norman Jean Claude Nato (born 8 July 1992) is a French Auto racing, racing driver. He races in the Formula E, Formula E World Championship for the Nismo, Nissan Formula E Team, and in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, FIA World Endurance ...

. Together, the team achieved three podiums, which included a win at the

, and finished fourth in the standings. Parallel to his WEC campaign, the Austrian competed for

Prema Racing Prema Racing, previously known as Prema Powerteam, is an Italian motorsport team, owned and operated through the '' DC Racing Solutions'' parent company. Founded in 1983, the team is based in Grisignano di Zocco and currently operates out of It ...

in the

. The team started the season in controlling fashion, winning the season opener at

Paul Ricard Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...

, after which Habsburg described himself as "honoured", and taking victory in

Imola Imola (; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical region Romagna ...

despite Lorenzo Colombo having to serve two drive-through penalties for a pair of separate infringements. After a fifth place in

Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...

, Habsburg and his teammates Colombo and

Louis Delétraz Louis Charles Hubert Delétraz (born 22 April 1997) is a Swiss people, Swiss racing driver currently competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Wayne Taylor Racing, Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing and in the European Le Mans Series for AO Racin ...

took yet another victory at

to extend their championship advantage. Another podium came in the penultimate race at

Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

, before the team clinched the title with a victory at the finale in

Portimão Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro (district), Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2022 was 63,079 in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão. In ...

, meaning that Habsburg and Delétraz claimed the ELMS drivers' title.

2023

The Austrian driver remained with

for the 2023 WEC season, this time partnering

Sean Gelael Muhammad Sean Ricardo Gelael (born 1 November 1996) is an Indonesians, Indonesian racing driver who is currently competing with United Autosports in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He has scored two Le Mans class podiums as his respective ...

and reuniting with

. The trio ended up fourth in the standings, with bad luck costing them three important results: having lost out on a podium at

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

due to a suspension problem, the team was forced to retire from the lead at

due to an engine failure, while a wheel gun issue at the final pit stop dropped the team from first to second in

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

2024

For the 2024 season, Habsburg stepped up to the top class in the WEC, joining the

to drive an

Alpine A424 The Alpine A424 is an LMDh sports prototype racing car designed by Automobiles Alpine and built by Oreca to compete in the Le Mans Hypercar class in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Background On 5 October 2021, Alpine formally announced a ...

. Habsburg competed in the first round, the

Qatar 1812 km The Qatar 1812 km is an endurance race for sports cars held at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, Qatar. It is the opening round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship. History On 12 December 2022, it was announced that Lusai ...

, finishing 8th. He would be injured in a crash during testing at

MotorLand Aragón MotorLand Aragón (alternative Spanish name: Circuito de Alcañiz) is a race track used for motorsports located in Alcañiz, Spain. The circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke in conjunction with the British architectural busin ...

on 27 March, fracturing two

lumbar vertebrae The lumbar vertebrae are located between the thoracic vertebrae and pelvis. They form the lower part of the back in humans, and the tail end of the back in quadrupeds. In humans, there are five lumbar vertebrae. The term is used to describe t ...

, missing the next two rounds at

and

; Alpine reserve driver

Jules Gounon Jules Jean-Louis Gounon (born 31 December 1994 in Aubenas) is an Andorran-based French people, French professional racing driver. He is best known for his victories in the Spa 24 Hours, 24 Hours of Spa in 2017 24 Hours of Spa, 2017 and 2022 24 Ho ...

would stand in for him. He would return to the car for the

Karting record

Karting career summary

Racing record

Career summary

† As von Habsburg was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score championship points.
^‡ Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship. ^* Season still in progress.

Complete Formula Renault 1.6 NEC results

(

key Key, Keys, The Key or The Keys may refer to: Common uses * Key (cryptography), a piece of information needed to encode or decode a message * Key (instrument), a component of a musical instrument * Key (lock), a device used to operate a lock * K ...

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Toyota Racing Series results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^† As Habsburg was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Complete Formula Renault 2.0 NEC results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Euroformula Open Championship results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers) † As von Habsburg was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score championship points.

Complete Macau Grand Prix results

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^† Driver did not finish, but was classified as he completed 90% of the race distance.

Complete Asian Le Mans Series results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete European Le Mans Series results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^* Season still in progress.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^* Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Dynastic activities

In 2011, Archduke Ferdinand Zvonimir attended the

Requiem Mass A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is u ...

in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral of his grandfather,

, former head of the

, former

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

and by pretense, Emperor-King of

. On 28 June 2014, Austrian royal family members including Ferdinand and more than 120 direct descendants of

Archduke Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. Fran ...

gathered in Lower Austria to mark the 100th anniversary of his death. The ceremony took place at

Artstetten Castle Artstetten Castle (, ) is a historic ''Schloss'' near the Wachau valley in Lower Austria, in the municipality of Artstetten-Pöbring. It is the final resting place of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. ...

, the royal family's former summer home, where his remains rest. On 5 May 2016, he was installed as a knight in the

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George () is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. It was originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) as the highest military decoration of the Russian Empire for commiss ...

. The heir to the house of Austria received the knighthood from his father,

Archduke Karl Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Lawrence of Austria, Duke of Teschen (; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field marshal, the third son of Emperor Leopold II and his wife, Maria Luisa of Spain. He was also the younger brother of Fr ...

, Grand Master. The history of the order goes back several centuries, created by Rudolph, Count of Habsburg who reigned as Emperor of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

from 1273-1291. In 2022, Ferdinand with his family attended the 100th anniversary of the death of

Charles I of Austria Charles I (, ; 17 August 1887 – 1 April 1922) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary (as Charles IV), and the ruler of the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from November 1916 until the monarchy was abolished in November 1918. He was the ...

Honours

Dynastic

: ** Knight of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

** Knight of the

Order of Saint George The Order of Saint George () is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. It was originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) as the highest military decoration of the Russian Empire for commiss ...

National

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

: **

Military Service Medal The Military Service Medal is a military medal awarded to members of the Military of Austria. It is awarded in three classes: gold, silver, and bronze depending on length of recognized service. Established in 1963, the medal was originally called ...

in bronze

Ancestry

References

External links

Personal website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Habsburg, Ferdinand 1997 births Living people Sportspeople from Salzburg Austrian Roman Catholics Ferdinand Zvonimir von Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Austrian racing drivers Toyota Racing Series drivers Formula Renault 2.0 NEC drivers Formula Renault Eurocup drivers Austrian princes Formula Renault 2.0 Alps drivers Euroformula Open Championship drivers FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers 24 Hours of Daytona drivers International GT Open drivers WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup drivers Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters drivers FIA World Endurance Championship drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers European Le Mans Series drivers Asian Le Mans Series drivers Carlin racing drivers Walter Lechner Racing drivers Drivex drivers Prema Powerteam drivers M2 Competition drivers Motopark Academy drivers Jota Sport drivers R-Motorsport drivers ART Grand Prix drivers Audi Sport drivers G-Drive Racing drivers W Racing Team drivers Fortec Motorsport drivers Aston Martin Racing drivers Algarve Pro Racing drivers Starworks Motorsport drivers 24 Hours of Spa drivers Signature Team drivers Cool Racing drivers