The son of car safety expert Max Danner, Christian Danner began his motor racing career immediately after leaving school in 1977.
After racing in the Renault 5 cup, Danner moved to the European Formula Two Championship for the 1981 season. During his time in Formula Two, he was a consistent frontrunner, scoring several podiums but never winning a race. He also set the F2 lap record for the current configuration of the old Nürburgring. In 1985, Danner transitioned to the Formula 3000 championship, which had replaced Formula Two. He achieved success in this new series, becoming the inaugural champion with four victories.
Danner made his Formula One debut in 1985 with Zakspeed, participating in two races but retiring from both due to mechanical failures. For the 1986 season, he joined the Italian outfit Osella, but struggled with the underpowered Alfa Romeo engine. After failing to finish the first six races, Danner moved to Arrows, benefiting from their powerful BMW turbo engines. It was with Arrows that he scored his first Formula One point at the Austrian Grand Prix.
He returned to Zakspeed in 1987. The car proved uncompetitive and unreliable, and any finishes were outside the points. After a stint in touring cars in 1988, Danner returned to Formula One in 1989 with Rial Racing. The car was highly uncompetitive, with a fourth-place finish at the 1989 United States Grand Prix, a result achieved due to high attrition, being the year's sole highlight. Danner was dismissed after the Portuguese Grand Prix, having qualified for only four races that year.
Following his Formula One career, Danner became a regular competitor in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM), making his debut in 1988 after failing to secure a Formula One drive. He made an immediate impact in touring cars, winning both races at Hockenheimring in a BMW M3. After sporadic appearances in 1989 and 1990, Danner returned to the DTM full-time in 1991, though it was a disappointing season with only one points-scoring finish. His best season in the series came in 1993, where he achieved six podium finishes and secured fifth place in the points standings. He also won a non-championship race at Donington Park. Danner returned to winning ways in 1995 with a victory at the Norisring and continued to race touring cars until 1997.
In 1991, Danner also competed in a single British Touring Car Championship race at Thruxton, driving a BMW M3.
Danner competed in Japanese Formula 3000 in 1990, driving for Leyton House's F3000 team. He scored four points and finished 14th in the championship. During the 1990s, Danner made several appearances in the Indy Car World Series, with his best result being a seventh place at Homestead Miami in 1995. He also participated in the Grand Prix Masters series.
After retiring from racing, Danner transitioned into a media career, becoming an F1 commentator for the German channel RTL.
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