21/11/2008
NEWS STORY
Brazil
A1 Team Brazil was on track today as preparations began for round three of the 2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. Felipe Guimarães was on duty for the Brazilian squad, using all available practice time as he is still eligible for the rookie sessions.
Felipe had his first taste of the Sepang track this morning in the two half hour rookie practice. The aim of the session was for the 17-year-old Brazilian to get to grips with the circuit, and to begin work on set-up on Brazil's A1GP Powered by Ferrari car. Unfortunately the team suffered electrical problems which blighted progress and limited Felipe to just seven laps in the first session.
In the afternoon's one hour practice, which saw all the nominated race drivers take to the track, Felipe headed out fourteen minutes into the session. Throughout the hour he completed 14 laps of testing, but the team struggled and is now investigating a potential technical problem which affected the practice performance.
Tomorrow will see all the teams complete one final hour of practice in the morning, before the all important qualifying sessions in the afternoon, which will determine the grid line-up for Sunday's sprint and feature races.
Felipe Guimarães: "This morning I really didn't get to run because of the problems so the first time I ran really was this afternoon. Unfortunately we have a problem, which we also experienced at the Silverstone test, with a big oversteer issue after braking. There isn't anything wrong with our set-up and we have tried several things to solve it without a resolution so we are of the thinking now that there is a problem with the car itself. We are looking into every area tonight and I hope things will be better for us tomorrow."
Fernando Paiva, Team Principal: "We lost a lot of time with the electrical problem in the rookie session and had more problems this afternoon. We're currently looking into the car in great detail as we believe there is a fundamental issue – we did not have set-up problems so we are trying to find the reason that we struggled. Hopefully this can all be resolved for tomorrow."
France
Today, A1 Team France began its Malaysian weekend on the Sepang circuit, where the 3rd round of the 2008-09 A1 World Cup of Motorsport Championship is taking place, in the best possible fashion.
Nicolas Prost set the quickest time in the 2 rookie sessions. The 4-times world champion's son, who drove the car at Chengdu 2 weeks ago, began the task of setting up the A1 single-seater.
Loïc Duval took over for the first free session for his first drive in the Ferrari-designed car on a dry track. He soon got to grips with it and was among the front-runners all session. He finished fourth overall despite a clutch problem that prevented him from setting the fastest time at the end of the session. It bodes well for the next 2 days.
Olivier Panis, sporting director: "We've made a great start to our weekend, with the best lap of Nicolas in the rookie session. The quality of his technical feedback helped us to progress in our programme right f rom the word go, which is very important. Loïc was soon on the pace. A few minor technical glitches prevented him from getting as much track time as we'd have liked, so we've still got a few more things to evaluate during the second free session. For the moment everything's under control!"
Loïc Duval, driver: "I couldn't wait to drive the new A1 GP car on a dry track for the first time. And I wasn't disappointed! The grip's good and the car's very quick. The high temperature caused a few problems under braking, but we've solved them. Clutch glitches in the closing minutes prevented me from setting the quickest time. Overall we're happy with our level of performance. Both driver and car still have to find a little more speed! All very positive really."
Nicolas Prost, driver: "The two rookie sessions went off well and I got to grips with the track very quickly. The Sepang circuit's got nothing in common with Chengdu, and we were able to start our techni cal programme right away. I think we've found some good set-ups. We're as competitive as ever and we should be able to fight at the front again this weekend."
Great Britain
A1 Team Great Britain made a good start to its preparations for the third round of the 2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport today, with Danny Watts setting the quickest time in the first rookie practice session and then improving on that to take the fastest lap of the weekend so far in the afternoon's one-hour practice at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
Danny hit the track this morning for the rookie practice session, which is split into two half hour segments. The British squad were on the pace straight away but Danny was still able to improve, setting his fastest lap of the session on the ninth of his 11 laps with a time of 1:51.096, putting him at the top of the timesheets. In the second rookie half hour, he set a lap two tenths slower than his segment one time, putting him third quickest of the session, with France and New Zealand ahead.
In the one hour practice this afternoon, Danny went out at the start and set a stunning time of 1:50.038 on his first flying lap, which was never bettered, despite the improvement of the track conditions bringing the times closer towards the end of the hour. GBR will have a further one hour testing session tomorrow morning with the rest of the grid ahead of the afternoon's crucial qualifying.
Danny Watts: "It felt good today and we're working hard for tomorrow now. In the rookie session I always knew I would be there or there abouts and this afternoon I expected the others to catch up. Looking at the times towards the end, the top ten are very, very close – there's hardly anything in it. I think it will be the same story tomorrow and it's going to be very tight at the top. Driving this car on this track is really amazing, with the aero, downforce and the braking – braking into the last corner is unbelievable. It's now my second weekend in the car and last week I was racing Porsche and GT cars at Macau, so it's a bit of a change. But I have learnt how to adapt quickly to new cars and I think that is showing in the results."
Katie Clements, Team Principal: "It's been another positive start to the weekend and, once again, the boys and Danny have quickly dialed into the track and worked hard to prepare in the best way possible for tomorrow. We have some more work to do in tomorrow morning's practice and the times are close but, at this stage, are feeling very confident for qualifying."
Ireland
Two weeks after a superb performance in China netted them 2nd place in the championship standings, A1 Team Ireland began preparations for round three of the 2008/9 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport™ season at Sepang, Malaysia today where Adam Carroll and Niall Quinn completed a combined total of 23 laps of the fast and challenging 5.54km venue during practice.
Nominated race driver Adam Carroll ended the second session in seventh place after 16 solid laps during which he ran through a number of set up options ahead of Saturday's qualifying session and Sunday's Sprint and Feature races.
Earlier, Niall Quinn had got the Irish team's on track activities off to a good start with seventh fastest time in the first of two half hour rookie sessions. However, the Co Meath driver struck problems in the second session and failed to compete a lap.
A serious hydraulic leak necessitated the removal of the rear end of the car which took up the entire second half of the session and the Motorsport Ireland Young Racing Driver of the Year slipped down the timesheet as the track grip improved.
Carroll took over the Powered by Ferrari car for the second hour of practice, the Portadown racer making a number of alterations to set up during the session and he emerged with fastest time through the second sector of the lap.
"It's been a good start to the weekend and we're all confident that we've found the right direction on set up for tomorrow and Sunday," said Team Principal Mark Gallagher afterwards.
"While we're not fastest, we're not overly concerned because our lap times were improving all the time and the set up changes we made were all in the right direction.
"Niall drove well and had a good start in the first rookie session before a hydraulic problem intervened ahead of rookie two. The team solved the problem but it was time consuming and by the time it was sorted Niall's chances of making an improvement were gone".
Team Technical Director Gerry Hughes was satisfied with the team's start to the weekend. "We made good progress throughout and Adam is happy with the way the car is handling so we have to be relatively content at this stage," he said.
"There is minimal grip from the tyres at this circuit which may be a factor of the heat and the fact that the circuit is still 'green' but it meant we have had to revise our expectations of the ultimate lap time.
"Still, we made some changes during the second session to the rear of the car which gave Adam more confidence and our sector times indicate that we are competitive with the leading runners.
"Niall's first session was very good and it was frustrating that a relatively small problem curtailed our running on a Friday. These are minor issues, but they cost valuable track time and we can only hope that that they remain a Friday problem."
Adam Carroll: "That was a pretty good session. Gerry came up with some very good solutions to improve the car's behaviour and I ended the session with a car that I feel I can really push in qualifying tomorrow. "There's way less grip out there than we might have expected and it's odd to see how much everyone is struggling for ultimate performance. Getting the tyres to work is a real challenge but we'll keep focused on improving and hope to continue the good form we showed in Chengdu."
Niall Quinn: I enjoyed the first session which was my first time on the Sepang circuit and I was happy to have many more experienced 'race' drivers behind me. The second half of the session was a write off, unfortunately but at least the team caught the problem early and could get it solved in time for Adam's run."
Lebanon
The Sepang circuit near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia presented new challenges for A1 Team Lebanon with the technically demanding track, the heat and high humidity testing the driver and car on the opening day of the third round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.
Daniel Morad, representing the nation in his third weekend of competition, took to the track in the morning for the rookie and developing nation session, however a technical problem forced the team to return to the garage. The crew worked hard to locate the minor electrical issue and make the necessary repair but only completed three laps in the first part of the session. With seven laps completed in the second part Morad produced sixth quickest lap overall.
In the afternoon practice session Morad continued the work of the morning making up for lost time by putting in a strong performance, finishing the session 11th quickest. Morad said of his sessions, "The morning set us back a little with the lack of track time, but we were on the pace very quickly today, so I think my preparations of playing the track on my PlayStation paid off! We were making changes in the right direction so I'm confident that we can move forward tomorrow."
A1 Team Lebanon Ambassador, Billy Karam, says of the team's opening day performance, "We're in the thick of the pack and less than a second from the pole time, so it's been a solid start to the weekend. Daniel is showing that he has the pace and I know that the team will be evaluating the data and expect to improve on their performance tomorrow."
Luke Craft, Team Principal, adds, "We didn't have the smooth start to the weekend that we always aim to have, but the crew were able to resolve the problem with minimal delay so we didn't lose too much track time. Daniel showed his talent at learning tracks very quickly so we were on the pace, running in the top five for much of the session and mixing it with the front runners. We're confident with the direction we're taking with our set up and looking forward to tomorrow."
Reserve driver, Jimmy Auby, is also attending the event and before today's track action got underway, he took time out to join other A1GP drivers for a visit to the world famous Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre outside Kuala Lumpur. Drivers were given a rare opportunity, thanks to Tourism Malaysia, to ride an elephant in the jungle with the help of an elephant guide, or mahout, and help feed them.
Auby said of his experience, "I've never ridden an elephant before and hadn't fed one either, but they were much friendlier than I thought they would be. It is good to see the work of organisations such as this which work so hard for such worthwhile causes. I'd prefer to be riding in a car than on an elephant, but I just have to be patient at the moment!"
Malaysia
A1 Team Malaysia completed the first day of practice for the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Malaysia, with the tenth fastest time of the day. In the morning rookie practice, Aaron Lim clocked a fantastic fourth quickest lap and Fairuz Fauzy recorded the tenth fastest lap overall in the afternoon practice.
The A1GP teams were ready for a strong day of running at the Formula One Championship circuit and A1 Team Malaysia and 19 other national teams enjoyed the wide, sweeping track with fine weather throughout the sessions.
In morning rookie session, Lim was able to work through a planned programme of car set-up and engineering developments in preparation for the weekend. Handing over the Malaysian car to Fauzy for the afternoon, the team was able to continue with the work of Lim and try a number of set-up options ahead of final practice and qualifying tomorrow.
Lim said on his return to the A1GP car, "I'm quite pleased with our performance this morning; it didn't take me long to get back on the pace after my first run in Chengdu. I didn't expect to be so quick this morning and I really enjoyed driving the new car at this track not only because it is my home track, but also because it is the type of track that suits the new A1GP car. It's good to help the team and share my experience so that A1 Team Malaysia can be highly competitive."
Fairuz said of his opening practice hour, "Aaron did a good job this morning to end up fourth fastest and showed that we have competitive car but during the break the temperatures went up and I was struggling with the grip this afternoon. Throughout the session we made changes and the car was going quicker particularly towards the end of the session and we're certainly going in the right direction. It's difficult to find the right stiffness for the car, particularly with the smooth surface of this track, but there's more to come from the car and we'll improve our pace tomorrow. We're certainly in the zone."
Jack Cunningham, Chief Executive, A1 Team Malaysia, adds, "We're up there in the mix of the top times and I think there's more to come from the team. Fairuz and Aaron work well together and our overall package is very strong now. We're feeling very positive for qualifying tomorrow, and will certainly be aiming for an improvement on today's position."
Monaco
Team Monaco finished in the top 10 on the time sheets once again during official practice for round three of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport 2008/9 at the Sepang International Circuit this afternoon.
Whilst 17 rookie drivers took to the track to collect valuable data for other teams in the morning, Clivio Piccione went out immediately as the second practice session started at 14:00 (local time). He returned to the pits after one lap with a radio issue - the team could hear Clivio back in the garage, but the airwaves fell silent in the Team Monaco cockpit. Despite being unable to hear the team for the entire practice running, Clivio focused on familiarising himself and the car with the 5.54 kilometres circuit, one of the longest on the A1GP calendar, in the extremely hot and humid conditions. The new team concentrated on car set-up in the short amount of track time it had today and Clivio honed his skills for the long sweeping corners in the A1GP Powered by Ferrari car.
Clivio set a fastest lap time of 1:50.618, crossing the finish line in ninth position at the end of the session with only a couple of hundredths of a second separating Teams Ireland, New Zealand and Monaco. It was Team GBR and defending 2007 Champions Switzerland who took the chequered flag in the top two positions today.
Clivio Piccione, Driver and Seat-Holder: "Sepang is an awesome track and I really enjoy it, but there are very high temperatures in the cock pit. We worked on set-up and made an improvement on the last lap. I was getting more and more comfortable in the car, getting to know the sweeping corners and trying to maximise our performance. We are quite confident and shall be starting on a good foot tomorrow. We know where we need to improve and I know where I need to push more."
Graham Taylor, Team Principal: "Since our arrival in Malaysia the team has spent more time together improving the way we work. This includes pitstop practice, which is an area where we have been lacking in pace at the previous races. Only running for one practice session today is a handicap and it would be advantageous to have a rookie driver to allow us to catch up with some of the established teams. However, during the session Clivio was acclimatising to the circuit and the engineering staff worked on ironing out initial balance problems. Overall, we are pleased to be in the top ten once again, but are looking forward to more track time tomorrow."
Netherlands
A1 Team Netherlands has made a solid start at the A1GP Sepang, the third round of the A1GP season. After Dennis Retera finished inside the top 10 at the Rookie session in the morning, Jeroen Bleekemolen stayed close to the front runners with a fifth place in the free practice during the afternoon, three tenths behind Danny Watts of Team Great Britain.
After his debut in Chengdu Dennis Retera again took place behind the wheel of the A1GP Powered by Ferrari. The 22-year old Retera wil fulfill the role of A1 Team Netherlands Rookie for the remainder of the season. On a warm and humid Sepang he managed to finish in ninth, with a time of 1'52.603. During his session Dennis collected much valuable data for the team, providing Jeroen Bleekemolen with a solid base for the free practice in the afternoon.
That practice was also held under warm and humid conditions, with times staying behind on the fastest lap of A1 Team Switzerland last year,which was 1'47.6. Again the field was close with the top 11 teams inside one second.
Dennis Retera; "Sepang is an awesome circuit!. Again this is a new track for me and you can tell it is a Formula 1 circuit. It has everything, a lot of fast corners, but also a very technical section. Jeroen explained a number of things about the circuit, which certainly helped me. I also look back pleased on today. In session 1 we finished in fifth after some small adjustments to the car. In session 2 I was in P4 and later in the session we did some pitstop simulations. This was both a good practice for the team as well as for me, I never did this before. Then we dropped back to ninth. Again I learned a lot today and I will watch everything and everyone very close again this weekend to learn even more."
Jeroen Bleekemolen; "We started off well today. Dennis did a good job and his information was very valuable for us. When I went out on track I noticed that the circuit had very low grip. Probably because there is new asphalt. That causes the cars to slide a lot. In the fast corners the A1GP Powered by Ferrari still has a lot of grip because of the huge downforce. Compared to our competition we are doing well. We are now close to the top. Again the whole field will be close together tomorrow, so it is important to get all the fine details perfect. Everyone in the team studied the direction we are going closely and hopefully we will be able to put down two good qualifying runs tomorrow. "
Jan Lammers; "We were competitive from the start and of course we want to keep doing that until the finish on Sunday. As always the front runners are close together, so we have stay on top of things all weekend. Dennis Retera has done important preparatory work during the Rookie sessions and is starting to settle in the team. Tomorrow things can again go well, but on Sunday we have to start over again. Our guys worked hard with pitstops, the equipment and approach have been fine tuned so that we can be competitive there as well. Jeroen's pole position in Zandvoort and the pace of Robert in China will boost his confidence. Everything can be watched extensively on RTL, so cheer us on, we do need it all the time! Powered by Ferrari is A1GP and 'Powered by the Fans' is A1 Team Netherlands."
Tomorrow the teams will have a 'Powerboost Joker' they can use during the qualifying. In one of the four segments they can use that during a flying lap and thus have 60 bhp extra during one entire flying lap. This functionality is part of the new A1GP Powered by Ferrari and will now be used as extra strategical element.
The teams can decide for themselves if they want to play their 'joker' for the Feature race or Sprint race qualifying.
South Africa
Danny Watts of Great Britain topped the timesheets at the end of the first day of practice for the third round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport here today. The Briton's best lap time of 1m 50,03s was just 0,07s quicker than Switzerland's Neel Jani and 0,14s ahead of third-placed India (Narain Karthikeyan). France (Loic Duval) was fourth and Netherlands (Jeroen Bleekemolen ) fifth. South Africa's Adrian Zaugg was 14th, with a best lap of 1m 51,43s.
Earlier in the day, France's Nicolas Prost posted the best time in the morning's practice session reserved for rookies and developing nations. The son of former F1 world champion Alain was just over half a second quicker than New Zealand's Earl Bamber ands 0,64s better than Watts in the A1 Team Great Britain car.
Gavin Cronje, making his first appearance for South Africa in the new Ferrari-engined A1GP car, had to be content with 10th fastest time on his return to the team. He last drove Vulindlela in the final round of the 2007 season at Brands Hatch in England, when he was fourth quickest.
"Gavin drove well and did what was asked of him, but unfortunately didn't get to run during the closing minutes of the session when many of the drivers set their best times," said Mike Carroll. "Most of the teams use tyres from the previous race meeting in the rookie session, so it's difficult to make comparisons between the teams in this session. Because the teams are using tyres with different conditions, some are better than others."
Cronje was happy to be back behind the wheel of an A1GP car. "I welcome the opportunity given to me by the team (he earned his drive by winning the inaugural Formula Volkswagen Challenge). "The new Ferrari-engined car is a lot more powerful and enjoyable to drive than the original A1GP car," he said. "Sepang is a real driver's circuit – I just wish I'd had more time behind the wheel."
Zaugg was disappointed not to have been quicker. "We suffered oversteer problems, like some of the other teams, but unfortunately we didn't sort the problem out as well as they did," said the 21-year-old. "We will be working hard to get the right set up in tomorrow morning's final practice and be in a strong opposition to qualify well tomorrow afternoon."