09/11/2008
NEWS STORY
Brazil
A promising performance from Felipe Guimarães for A1 Team Brazil turned to disappointment as the team suffered from technical problems in both races at the Chengdu Circuit in China. Forced to pit for four laps during the Sprint race to solve an electrical problem meant Felipe finished the race at the back of the pack, while the feature race saw the squad retire early due to concerns over the engine overheating.
Starting from 12th on the grid due to a tyre pressure problem in qualifying, Felipe retained position after the rolling start for the 18-lap sprint race. Unfortunately, an electrical problem caused him to slow on the second lap and, although briefly pulling to the side of the track, he was able to get going and bring the car into the pits. The issue was rectified and four laps later he rejoined the grid, albeit at the back of the grid. In the ten remaining racing laps, Felipe set some extremely competitive and consistent lap times, his fastest just one hundredth of a second off the pace of the fastest lap of the race, set by Ireland's Adam Carroll, the eventual race winner.
Felipe began the 50-lap feature race from tenth on the grid and, after his strong lap times in the sprint, was hopeful of a rewarding race. He dropped back to 17th after being forced to take evasive action as the Netherlands stalled right in front of him on the grid, which resulted in a safety car period. Felipe passed Korea for 16th on the restart on lap 3 but was then hindered four laps later when an advertising banner became attached to the front wing and radiator air intake, causing the car to understeer and the engine to overheat. He made his first compulsory stop on lap 11 but just three laps later
pulled the Brazil car into the garage after data showed the engine was losing water pressure due to the overheating, and risking damage to it.
The team is now looking forward to a more rewarding weekend in Malaysia in two weeks time, as the third round of the 2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport takes place at the Sepang International Circuit.
Felipe Guimarães: "We changed a few things on the car before the sprint race and in the race it was fantastic, so quick. I set the second fastest lap without using PowerBoost. Unfortunately, in that race and the second race we just didn't have any luck and had the technical problems. We are feeling positive though because the car was so good. It gives us confidence for Malaysia and I hope we can get a strong result there."
Fernando Avallone, Franchise Manager: "The results do not show it, and it was a frustrating Sunday, but we move on to Malaysia with a positive frame of mind given Felipe's great pace all weekend, and the superb job our team showed once again. We know it is now only a matter of time until we are battling at the sharp end of the grid, and it could very well be on our next race, as all the ingredients are there - we all wish we could race again tomorrow! Malaysia was also very good for us last season, so we are really looking forward to Sepang in two weeks time."
France
Today, A1 Team France took part in the Short and Feature races in the second round of the 2008-09 A1 World Cup of Motorsport Championship on the Chengdu circuit in China. Nicolas Prost had a tough job ahead of him as he started from 6th and 12th places respectively. But he put on a good show and scored a point for A1 Team France, which leaves China in 2nd place in the overall classification.
Nicolas lost 2 places in the flying start for the Short race. He quickly closed the gap to his rivals, but was unable to find a way past on the twisty track that provided few overtaking opportunities.
In the Feature race, A1 GP had its first standing start of the season. Nicolas made a perfect getaway and he finished lap 1 in 9th place and began to fight his way back up though the field. After the second round of pit stops he gained another 2 places and closed the gap to Australia. Nicolas was all fired up by his lap times that were comparable to those of the f ront-runners, and he tried to pass his rival but it didn't work out. The A1 France Team's car became unbalanced under braking, and ended up in the gravel trap bringing its race to an abrupt halt.
Olivier Panis, sporting director: "Apart from the final result, which may look a little disappointing, we're glad we've found a new driver who's quick and consistent, and capable of defending A1 Team France's colours in a competitive fashion. A couple of minor things dictated the course of our weekend, as is often the case in motor racing. With a little bit of luck we'd have opened the champagne! This evening we're in second place in the overall classification and we're feeling relaxed about the remainder of the championship: our car's quick; our strategies are the right ones and our aim is still the title!"
Nicolas Prost. "Of course, I'm frustrated at not having score d more points this weekend. This being said there are a lot of positive elements to be taken from what happened. I really didn't know what to expect on arriving in Chengdu, and I was very happy to see that I was able to lap in the times of the front-runners straight away. Our two races were really decided yesterday in qualifying. If things had worked out better we'd have started from the front row, and the result would have been very different. By starting from twelfth spot in the Feature event I had to drive an aggressive race and take risks. It's better to end up in the gravel trap than to come home in an anonymous tenth place! I've learned a lot this weekend, and I'm reassured in my ability to get the very best out of the new A1 GP single-seater."
Great Britain
Danny Watts today led A1 Team Great Britain to a double podium finish at the Chengdu International Circuit in China on his debut race weekend for the team. The result rewarded the team with 16 crucial points as it gets its championship campaign underway.
The grid got away cleanly after the rolling start to the 18-lap Sprint race, with Danny fighting wheel to wheel with Switzerland's Neel Jani on the first corner. The GBR driver moved around the outside of Jani, taking third place from the reigning world champions. Danny maintained a consistent pace throughout the race, remaining around four seconds behind the front pairing of Ireland and the Netherlands and, despite facing intense pressure from Jani on the final four laps, came through to finish on the podium on his debut race for the British squad.
In the Feature race, Danny made a good start from pole position, leading the pack into the first corner ahead of Portugal's Filipe Albuquerque and Ireland's Adam Carroll and retained the lead on the restart after a brief safety car period. On lap eight, GBR made the first of its two compulsory pitstops and Danny emerged in second position, with Portugal having leapfrogged him after the stop. The British squad moved down to third on lap 26 after Ireland also jumped ahead following the second round of pitstops. Danny had emerged from his own stop behind the backmarkers,, which held up his progress. A second safety car was deployed on lap 39, and Danny maintained a strong third after the restart five laps later, and crossed the finish line to take the final podium position.
Danny Watts:
Sprint Race: "It's a great result and a great reward for all the hard work all the boys have put in over the week, because they have put in a massive amount of hours through the nights. The third place is good points on the board. I had a good move round the outside of Jani at the first corner and I just had to pursue it. After that it was just a case of trying to hold onto the back of Ireland and the Netherlands. I had to keep it clean and tidy and not let Jani by again."
Feature Race: "We are really pleased with third . we came out in an unfortunate place after the second pitstop but that's racing, unfortunately it worked against us. But we never would have thought we would go away with two podiums after arriving when the car was still in bits. The podiums have to go to the mechanics because they have worked so hard. There's been a huge effort from everyone on the team and I'm so glad that we're going away from the weekend with a big haul of points. It's been a privilege and an honour to drive for Great Britain, I've had a great weekend and hope that I have contributed."
Katie Clements, Team Principal: "We cannot be disappointed with two podiums. I have to thank again the entire team for the immense work they have done this weekend and the hours they have put in. It took a superhuman effort to get the car prepared and all that work has paid off today. Danny has done an incredible job for us on his debut, especially considering he hasn't raced a singleseater in more than two years. We are leaving Chengdu as a very happy team and are very excited at the prospect of what we could achieve in Malaysia in two weeks time."
Korea
A1 Team Korea took part in the second round of the 2008/09 season of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport today, at the Chengdu International Circuit in China. Jin- Woo Hwang was once again behind the wheel of the A1 Team Korea car, proudly liveried in the colours of the Korean flag. Hwang came home in 19th place in the Sprint race, and crossed the line in 17th place following the Feature race.
In a relatively uneventful Sprint race, Hwang made up one place on the first lap, passing Indonesia to move up to 19th. By lap two the A1 Team Korea was up to 17th place. Despite his inexperience in the series, Hwang fended off the attentions of third year Indonesian driver Satrio Hermanto, until the Indonesian car relegated Hwang to 19th on the final lap.
Following a colourful opening ceremony which featured traditional Chinese dancers, the A1GP cars lined up on the grid for the 70 minute Feature race in front of an enthusiastic local crowd. Taking to the grid to wish his driver good luck, A1 Team Korea seat holder Joshua Kim was introduced to the Deputy Minister, The State General Administration of Sport, Yu Zai Qing, who was told of the new sponsorship ‘space sharing' agreement between A1 Team Korea and China.
With last month's race in Zandvoort started behind the safety car due to the wet conditions, today's Feature race was Hwang's first standing start in an A1GP car. As the lights went out, Hwang made a good start, jinking to the left to pass A1 Team Italy. Thundering up the start/finish straight, Hwang did well to avoid the stalled car of the Netherlands and made it to the first corner safely.
By the end of lap one, Hwang had passed Mexico and Indonesia and was in 17th place. On his in- lap before his first pit stop, Hwang spun on debris at the first corner, severely delaying his progress. Emerging from the pits following his first stop, Hwang lay in 18th place. Following the team's second mandatory pit stop, Hwang made up another place as A1 Team France spun off into the gravel. At the end of the 51 lap race, Hwang crossed the line in 17th place.
Reflecting on his race, Hwang said, "It was a tough and long race today. Just before the first pit stop I hit some debris on the track which made me spin, so I lost a lot of time then. I'm pleased to have finished, but obviously would have like to finish higher up."
A1 Team Korea team manager Martin Stone said, "Today was a real test for Jin and I think considering the circumstances he did a good job. Chengdu is a very challenging track and the level of competition is high. Jin made a good start, his pace was consistent and he brought the car home without any damage."
Seat holder Jung-Yong Joshua Kim was reflective on the team's performance, "This was a difficult day for A1 Team Korea and it was a big test for Jin, but he finished the race without any damage to the car, and represented his country on the world stage. We have strengthened our commercial links with A1 Team China this weekend and continue to build up the team in preparation for the rest of the season."
Lebanon
A1 Team Lebanon completed a strong weekend of racing in Chengdu, China, at a technically demanding track, with Daniel Morad racing in only his second A1GP event. Lining up 13th for both the Sprint and Feature races and finishing 12th in the Sprint race and 13th in the Feature race.
The Sprint race began with a rolling start and the field of nations streamed past the green flag at high speed, and through the first turn without incidents. Morad held position and then gained a place on the second lap after a spin by the home nation, with the Chinese car dropping back as a result. The remainder of the race was uncharacteristically processional, with few nations trading places as the drivers focused on keeping their cars on the difficult track, with the frequent bumps adding to the pressure to race hard and clean.
After treacherous rain caused the opening round last month to start under a safety car this was the first standing start for the new A1GP Powered by Ferrari cars. Unfortunately the Netherlands car stalled on the grid, bringing out the safety car, with Lebanon lying in 13th place. Morad maintained position until the first round of pitstops, lying 14th after all the cars had made their stops. The Lebanon driver was forced to defend hard from the Italian car behind him and drove maturely to keep his position.
In the second round of stops the Lebanon crew worked quickly to change the tyres and put Morad back out on track, and their efforts were rewarded with a gain of one place, with the team lying in 13th position after all the nations had completed their stops. A spin for France with 12 laps remaining brought out the safety car and closed up the field with Morad lying in 12th position.
The safety car pitted and the race restarted with six laps remaining, Morad maintained position until the Chinese car overtook him using his 60bph from the PowerBoost. Morad was unable to defend his position as he had used all his PowerBoost opportunities which provide additional horsepower for overtaking manoeuvres. After 51 laps of racing the Lebanon car crossed the line in 13th position.
Morad said after the sprint race, "We only gained one place, but it was very difficult to pass, so I'm not too disappointed. After the Feature race he added, "Our results reflect the problems that we had earlier in the weekend. It was difficult to overtake here so qualifying position was important. We hadn't had the time to focus on outright speed, having had technical issues, and starting in the midfield gave us a tough task. I'm disappointed that we weren't able to score more points, but I think we've learnt a considerable amount and we'll be able to put this to good use in Sepang."
Tameem Auchi said of the weekend, "I know the team's efforts to develop performance were hampered by the technical issues they suffered after the accident in Zandvoort and a major car rebuild. Everyone worked very hard and we've seen a step forward with the team in only two race weekends. Daniel drove with a strong pace and great maturity, and I think it won't be long before we're back in the points."
Billy Karam, A1 Team Lebanon Ambassador concluded, "It's been a very tough weekend for the Lebanon crew and Daniel. When you have to divert your efforts from focusing on pace to resolve problems such as the fuel pressure ones that we've had this weekend it makes it very difficult to deliver the results we're aiming for. However the strength of the team and Daniel's efforts brought us two solid races and we can build on this for the next round in Malaysia."
Malaysia
The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Chengdu, China, staged the region's first A1GP event today with two races of nation versus nation competition. Fairuz Fauzy represented his nation this weekend and drove a strong race to fifth place in the Feature race to take a clear championship lead to the team's home race in two weeks time. In the earlier sprint race the Malaysian team had finished in 13th position after a solid drive from Fauzy.
At the green flag for the Sprint race, which began with the customary rolling start of A1GP, Fauzy dropped a place, taking it cautiously for this first start in efforts to avoid any potential incidents. He recovered two places on the next lap, taking Italy and benefiting from a problem for Brazil to lie in 13th and with all the teams running cleanly the Malaysian driver held position as the laps counted down. It was an uncharacteristic A1GP Sprint race with very few changes of position up and down the field, leaving the final results very similar to the grid slots.
Fauzy said after the Sprint event, "I was disappointed with the start of the race. It wasn't a proper sprint race start, it was more like a restart, and the field was just too strung out at the green flag. With the tight pack in the midfield I ended up dropping a place on the opening lap, but managed to retake Italy. The track is quite tight, only the front straight is an overtaking opportunity, and I think with the short length of the race, there weren't many chances to make up ground."
The first standing start of the season opened the Feature race (with the treacherous weather in the first round demanding starts behind the safety car). The Netherlands car stalled on the grid as the lights went out for the start, bringing out a safety car at the end of that lap. Malaysia maintained its grid slot until the first round of pit stops and after quick work from the Malaysian crew Fauzy was back out on track in sixth place. With Australia ahead, Fauzy began to challenge for fifth but with limited overtaking opportunities was continually thwarted in his attempts.
Malaysia opted to stay out a few laps longer than the leaders for the second mandatory tyre change stop returning to the track in sixth place after another clean stop from the pit crew. A few laps later Fauzy made the best overtaking manoeuvre of the race when he overtook the Australian car by passing it round the outside of the first turn. Lying in fifth the Feature race calmed when France spinning brought out a safety car period. Racing resumed with six laps remaining and Malaysia held off its rivals to take the fifth place and, more importantly, retain the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport championship lead.
Fauzy said after the Feature race, "It was very tough, very physical. The pace of the car was good but I was stuck behind Australia for a while. I managed to pass that car eventually and that resulted in another point for us so that was good. The pit crew were perfect in the stops although I didn't make it easy for them when I came in a little too fast for the slippery surface and overshot my marks. Luckily it didn't cause any delay in the stop. I'm really pleased we have the championship lead heading into Malaysia."
Jack Cunningham said after the two races, "The team worked very well today, with great pit stops and a superb drive from Fairuz. There were several very good calls from Alan today, particularly with use of the PowerBoost and the race strategy, which was critical today. We had good pace and coming away with the lead of the Series is the best possible place for us to be ahead of our home race."
Monaco
In only its second A1GP World Cup of Motorsport Powered by Ferrari weekend, Team Monaco achieved a top ten finish in this morning's Sprint race and maintained its starting position to take seventh place during an exciting Feature race at the Chengdu International Circuit. This afternoon's result means that Team Monaco, new to the A1GP series this season, is currently in 11th place in the championship with nine points and three Top Ten finishes.
The morning's Sprint race saw Team Ireland winning from pole position, with Netherlands and GBR in second and third places respectively. A1 Team Monaco seat holder and driver Clivio Piccione, starting from 10th on the grid, drove a solid 18-laps race and skilfully overtook India on the penultimate lap to take the chequered flag in ninth position with a best lap time of 1:17.153.
The focus then switched to the afternoon's 50-laps Feature race with Clivio beginning at the sharp end of the action from seventh position on the grid. He made a fantastic start when the lights went out, weaving cleanly up the grid to make up three positions to sit in fourth place when the safety car was deployed due to a stall on the grid by Team Netherlands. The safety car returned to the pits on lap three and when the race re-started, Clivio continued to push Ireland ahead of him.
Clivio made his first mandatory stop at the window opening on lap nine along with several of the teams. On returning to the track he had lost three places in the congested pitlane and on crossing the line, with 39 laps to go, Clivio was in 13th position. However, after all of the teams had made their mandatory first pitstops, he had maintained his original starting position behind teams Malaysia, Australia and Switzerland in seventh place.
With 25 laps to go Clivio made his final mandatory pitstop. He emerged in eighth place once all of the stops had taken place, showing just how close in pace and performance the leading pack remained. An ambitious overtaking manoeuvre on the dirty side of the track on lap 38 by Team France on the outside of Australia resulted in France spinning and stopping in the gravel trap. With the safety car once again deployed, the field was able to tighten and Clivio, with five out of the team's eight power-boost runs remaining, was able to make a charge for sixth position when the safety car lights went out with only six laps to go. Clivio held USA behind him as the teams battling for the final places in the top 10 made their final power-boost surges in to turn one.
The Monegasque squad pushed Team Australia hard, breathing on the rear wing of their car until the chequered flag. Clivio crossed the finish line as he had started, in seventh position, to take the team's second championship points haul of the season.
Clivio Piccione: "I made a really good start from the line in the Feature race from P7 to P4. I went on the outside in to turn one and was running side-by-side with Switzerland for the first three corners. The safety car came out straight way and when we restarted we were running well and following the pace of the cars in front. We were not able to catch them, but kept our distance under control. We came in to pitstop in the first lap of the window; unfortunately it was a bit long and we lost places to Switzerland and Australia. The car didn't feel good on the second set of tyres; I had understeer, losing time on the quick sections, but I pushed as much as possible. On the second pitstop we had another issue and lost another place. The car came good when the next safety car was out and you could see other teams having a few problems with the tyres. But after the safety car came in, our car was a bit difficult and I continued to push to fight for sixth place with Australia. I tried a few different moves, but he defended well and I could not dive in. Overall our performance was quite good; we had an amazing start and the correct pace throughout the race. We know where we need to improve and so we look forward to the next round in Sepang."
Graham Taylor, Team Principal: "It was a fairly uneventful Sprint race as we with knew we had to keep our nose clean, being in a better starting position for the afternoon's Feature race. All went according to plan in the morning and Clivio made a good overtaking manoeuvre at end of the race, dispatching Team India to come home in ninth position. We made an excellent start to the Feature race with our strategy working according to plan and we were racing in fourth position by the end of lap one. With the pits being closed to stops under the safety car, we kept to a conservative strategy and pitted as soon as they were open. We lost a few places due to a slow pitstop and the second set of tyres also hurt the balance of the car. After our second stop, which was also too long, the balance came back and Clivio was able to execute a great fight with Australia after the safety car returned. To see the Team in the points once again, in only our second A1GP event, is a satisfying achievement."
Netherlands
The A1GP Chengdu races were ones of extremes for A1 Team Netherlands. In the Sprintrace Robert Doornbos took a very nice second place finish, but in the Feature all hopes for a good result went up in smoke right at the start and with a 16th place the point scored for the fastest lap of the race was a small consolation prize.
The 18 lap Sprintrace was the race debut of Doornbos in A1GP. The A1 Team Netherlands driver started from second on the grid, managed to keep his position at the rolling start and slotted in behind A1 Team Ireland. Ireland managed to open a small gap and despite the fact that Robert did come a bit closer, he was not really in a position to charge for victory. Doornbos did move away from the rest of the field though and A1 Team Netherlands also came close to the fastest lap of the race and set the highest top speed. Ireland took the win from pole position in a race that ran without incidents. With their first podium of the season A1 Team Netherlands secured 8 points and did well for the title fight as well because France, Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia did poorly. Great Britain took the final podium position.
In the Feature race A1 Team Netherlands had to start from eighth on the grid, but the perspective on a good result or even a second podium finish immediately evapourated at the start as the A1 Team Netherlands car stalled at the standing start and stayed on the grid. Although the safety car came out straight away, Doornbos faced a lap arrears and started the shear impossible task of scoring any points. This did throw Doornbos off too much though and throughout the race he clearly showed that the pace was really there on the bumpy and dusty Chengdu circuit. Slowly but surely he started to peel away his gap with the rest of the field and during the race he was able, with to decent pitstops, to climb a few places. With 17 laps left he set the all out fastest lap of the day, 1.15.212. This did mean a point for A1 Team Netherlands which now has a total of championship points.
Robert Doornbos; "It is great to drive for A1 Team Netherlands. We worked hard all weekend and the car came our way. In the first qualifying we just missed the pole, in the second qualifying we were a bit off on timing and keeping the temperature in the tyres. That was a bit disappointing. In the Sprintrace I had a good rolling start, but from pole Ireland just had the advantage of the inside line going into the first corner. It was wheelbanging, but we let each other live. In the end we finish 1 and 2, well clear of the rest of the field. I do not know what happened at the Feature race start. The anti-stall system we have is supposed to prevent things like this happening, but for some reason it did not work. For both the people of Ferrari as well as for us it is still not clear why. After that I was so pissed off that I pushed like mad. In doing so I did improve the lap record by a big margin and then you at least get a point for the fastest lap. But it was a shame, I was quick all throughout the race and today we did have a car to drive to the podium from eighth on the grid.
Jan Lammers; "I am actually quite pleased with our overall pace this weekend. We clearly had the fastest lap in the Feature race. On two key moments we fell short though, during the qualifying and start of the Feature race. We had hoped that we would be able to make up some during the race, but that plan fell apart straight away. Who or what caused this is only important for us in terms of what happened, and how can we prevent this from happening again. It is a shame and off course we are just as disappointed as our supporters, but we will have to accept it as it is. The Sprint race podium is nice, but in reality a formality when you start from the front row and with drivers and cars of this level. The only real question is if you are going to win or finish second."
Portugal took their maiden A1GP victory, followed by Ireland and Great Britain. Because of France retiring, Prost spun, A1 Team Malaysia now take the championship with them to their home race in a fortnight on the Sepang circuit. The have got a six point lead over A1 Team Netherlands which is now in fifth, but equal in points with New Zealand in fourth.
South Africa
Portugal became the 17th nation to win an A1GP race when Filipe Albuquerque took the honours in the feature race in round two of the fourth season of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at the Chengdu International Circuit on Sunday.
It was a popular first ever A1GP victory for Portugal and followed Albuquerque's sixth place in the shorter sprint race earlier in the day. A1 Team Ireland's Adam Carroll was second after the Irish driver dominated the sprint race from pole position. Great Britain's Danny Watts, in his first A1GP and the team's first appearance of the new season, finished third in both races after starting the feature race from pole position.
South Africa, with Adrian Zaugg at the wheel of Vulindlela, was fifth in the sprint race after starting from seventh on the grid and ninth in the feature race after starting fifth.
With Zaugg finishing in the points in both races, South Africa is now 10th in the championship after the first two rounds. Malaysia retains its lead from the opening round at Zandvoort in the Netherlands in October with 28 points from France and Ireland on 23.
Zaugg made up two places in the dash to the first corner in the rolling start sprint race, but was unable to improve his position further during the 18-lap race. He came under pressure from Albuquerque from half distance, but was able to control the gap to the Portuguese car to the chequered flag.
The South African lost three places in the standing start to the feature race and was eighth at the end of the first of the scheduled 50 laps. South Africa was one of the last to make the first of the two mandatory pit stops and lost another three places in the process when the team had to remove a piece of plastic advertising material that had wrapped itself around the front wing. A better second pit stop at around the halfway mark saw South Africa make up a place to lie 11th with 23 laps remaining.
With 12 laps to go Zaugg was 10th and in the points after France's Nicolas Prost went wide in turn one while attempting top pass Australia's John Martin and beached his car in a gravel trap. Zaugg, putting in a strong performance in the second half of the race, passed India's Narain Karthikeyan at the end of the main straight to take ninth place with five laps remaining.
"My race was compromised from the start when I was forced wide and lost two places before turn one," said Zaugg. "I thought I had a good chance to get past John Martin in the Australian car during the first stint, but then we picked up a piece of plastic debris on the track that attached itself to the front wing, reducing the downforce and causing understeer. I hung on as best I could and managed to hold off Chris van der Drift in the New Zealand car until the first pit stop. Unfortunately, with the team having to remove the debris from the wing, we were delayed in the pits and lost another three places. The second stint was better, but we were too far back to make much of an impression. I was happy to get back into a points scoring position at least."