09/10/2005
NEWS STORY
Brazil
Nelson Piquet Jr: "It was a bit of a difficult weekend, but there are still a lot of positives and at least we know we are quick and still in the lead in the championship. In the first race I did a little mistake at the start and went out with the wrong gear and lost a lot of positions, but the cars that crashed were unlucky and I gained the positions I had lost at the start. Throughout I was quicker than Jani but it's difficult to follow on this track and it's not easy to overtake. I tried sometimes to make some gaps and do a fastest lap which I did, so that's something good. In the second race I made a good start but then the car choked, I don't know why, and I fell back a bit. I was quick and really thought I could do well but then we had the bad pitstop and the drive through. When the safety car went back in I was in the points but the Japanese guy made a silly, inexperienced mistake and put me out. Now we look forward to Estoril and try to increase the lead we have there."
Emerson Fittipaldi: "The best thing is that we are still leading the championship, although this afternoon was
really disappointing. Also, we know that we were the fastest car on the track in both races, and got the fastest lap in both. In the first race Nelson was clever to avoid the incident at the first corner. He was the fastest man but he couldn't get past Switzerland. He still finished a strong third though and I really think with each race he is getting tougher. In the second race we had a difficult pitstop and then we were penalised, so we lost a lot of
ground. Nelson did a fantastic restart after the safety car came in but he got squeezed by two cars and had nowhere to go when the Japan car turned in on him. He is lucky the car didn't end up upside-down."
Pakistan
Adam Khan: "First of all I'd like to say how deeply sorry and how filled with sorrow I am following the terrible tragedy in Pakistan. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Pakistan at this time. The racing this weekend was secondary in my mind and at times it was difficult to keep focused.
"The first race was disappointing but that's the way racing goes sometimes. I struggled a little with the balance of the car in early stages of the second race but I still managed to do the business. The strategy for the early pit-stop was definitely the correct decision as it meant I could make the most of the clean air. The safety car period didn't really help me in any way, but after retiring in the first race I was happy with my performance in the Feature Race.
David Sears, Team Principal: "At the start of the first race Adam (Khan) shot away and went from 16th to 7th into the first corner. Following the contact at the first corner the front tyre worked its way loose eventually ending up underneath the car.
"The team quickly repaired the car in time for the Feature Race where Adam used his head and moved from 21st to 12th place at the chequered flag. "
Arif Husain: "I am very pleased with the outcome of Adam and A1 Team Pakistan, particularly on a day like today when the whole country is under a dark cloud after the event of the disastrous earthquake. Adam was here to do a job for his country and we are all very proud of him."
New Zealand
Jonny Reid: "It was an unbelievable comeback. I'm stoked with the team and the way they changed the gearbox and handled the main race pit stop.
"I had the best start of my career in the Sprint Race and while I'm disappointed I didn't get a podium finish, especially when I had a real sniff in the Feature Race, this was my first taste of A1 and I had a lot to learn."
Colin Giltrap, Team owner: "Considering that we had only qualified in fourteenth place, it was a supreme effort," Giltrap said. "It really gave the team confidence and we couldn't have been more proud of Jonny. He kept a cool head, belied his age and experience and, really, was absolutely terrific in his A1 debut.
"I think it was smart to finish fourth in the Feature Race rather than having an all-out lunge at the Canadian. Consistency is the key in this championship."
Dick Bennetts, Technical Director: "During the morning's warm-ups we were looking to secure data with a full tank of gas, evaluate the changes we made after qualifying and also practice some pit stops," Bennetts said. "Not only did we dip out on those opportunities, it was a mad scramble to determine what the problem was and rebuild the gear box in a hurry.
"It was also our only chance for Jonny to get back into race mode, so he had a difficult start to the race day. But this sort of adversity is part of motorsport and you simply have to take it in your stride and rise above it.
"At least the problems occurred during the warm-up and not the races itself. That would have been a real disaster. So, all in all, we're extremely relieved and delighted."
Britain
Robbie Kerr: "In the Sprint race I had a good start and going into the first corner everybody collected each other. A racing incident.
"The second race made up for the first coming from the back of the grid. The early pit stop was a hard strategy for me because I had to drive 100% all the way through the race. I had a good first lap and overtook a lot of cars and then I pitted. Again the team did a fantastic job. They got me out and I carried on pushing hard not knowing where I was going to end up. I just had to keep my head down. We all needed this result. It's well deserved by the team and I'm very proud to have been the one in the car."
John Surtees, Team Principal: "Obviously we had the lows and highs with the disastrous incident with Robbie and Scott Speed in the first race – not just the result but we couldn't get the car back until well after the end of the race and we had very little time for repairs. Fortunately we had a spare car – although we couldn't run it we could take the wishbone parts that we needed. But then in the Feature race Robbie avoided trouble in those first laps. Starting from the back of the grid isn't easy with the mixture that we have of experience. He found his way through and the strategy worked. The team did another superb pit stop and it was as good as we could hope. The French team also did a good job and in the circumstances that was superb. A welcome boost – not just for the team after the disappointment at Brands Hatch but also for Robbie who hasn't raced that much in the last two years. This is all bringing him back to where he'll be fully on song."
Ireland
Ralph Firman: "I had good start in the Sprint race and was up to 4th before Scott Speed and Robbie Kerr collided and forced me onto the grass. We were fortunate to finish 9th. In the Feature race I made a bad start but pitted early as planned. I had a clear run afterwards allowing us to get up to fifth place. Unfortunately Nelson Piquet's accident at Turn 1 caused a yellow flag which I understood to mean no overtaking and didn't defend when Jani came up behind, so dropped to sixth. I am very unhappy with that outcome. Overall we learnt a lot this weekend and its great to be racing for A1 Team Ireland. I'll give it socks in Estoril."
Mark Gallagher Team Principle: "We are delighted with the top six finish today and have made enormous progress over the weekend. This was Ralph's first single seater race since the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, so he performed extremely well. He made an outstanding stand into 4th place in the Sprint Race, and the Feature Race went pretty well according to plan other than when the Swiss didn't see the yellow flags. We can go to Portugal aiming to put some of these teams in our wake."
Andy Miller, Tech: "Not the easiest of weekends for us given the problems in qualifying, but we learned a lot and Ralph did what was asked of him. It was good to score points in both races and we recovered well in the Sprint race after being pushed out after that terrific start. We need to carry forward the momentum of this weekend and ensure Estoril goes rather more smoothly."
Germany
Timo Scheider: "When compared with the opening race of the season in Great Britain, A1 Team Germany demonstrated with fifth position that it is on the up and up in qualifying and in the sprint race. The main race also started off very well, since we were among the fastest four teams who pulled easily away from the pack. That"s why I"m bitterly disappointed that the team was deprived of a good result because of the pit-stop."
Willi Weber: "The basic upward trend is obviously a positive signal. Tenth position in the main race is however disappointing particularly as A1 Team Germany had planned to finish at the sharp end in its home race. During the opening stages of the race this was more than possible. Unfortunately a problem with a wheel nut put paid to any chances."
Malaysia
Alex Yoong: "In the first race I knew it would be carnage into the first corner as it has a bad camber and I could see cars would slide into each other, so I went to the outside, two cars went off and I was fifth, finally finishing sixth. For the second race I had another flying start and was up to second, I dropped back a bit after that, and unfortunately our pit stop wasn't too quick because of a wheel nut problem which I think is affecting quite a few of the teams. I am delighted to have added to our points tally for the Series, and we'll be back out in Portugal trying hard for more."
Jack Cunningham, Team Principal: "After difficult qualifying this weekend, we are extremely proud of the team's work this weekend. The result in the Sprint race was excellent. Alex's work in the car to hold off the charges from behind him was very, very good for 13 nail biting laps. The final result of the main race brought mixed fortunes for A1 Team Malaysia this weekend in Germany, but that is the nature of Motorsport. We have a competitive car. We can run up the front and we now need to improve our consistency."
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