06/11/2005
NEWS STORY
New Zealand
The New Zealand A1 Grand Prix team is still a pleasing 4th on the championship points table despite slim pickings in a thrilling Round 4 at Eastern Creek, Sydney.
Kiwi driver Jonny Reid didn't pick up any points in the Sprint Race with his 14th place finish, but he did score three points with an 8th place finish in the day's second race, an incident-packed 40-lap Feature Race which saw 10 of the 24 starters fail to finish.
Reid actually finished the race in 9th place, but Ireland incurred a time penalty for passing New Zealand before the start-finish line on the second re-start of the race and dropped to 14 th place.
The meagre points haul saw A1 Team.NZL lose ground on the front-runners and a number of nations have narrowed the gap in behind the team, but A1 Team.NZL chief executive Bob McMurray was proud of his driver and crew.
"It was a difficult weekend given we do not, as yet, have a perfect race car, but coming out with points and holding on to fourth spot on the table is really pleasing," McMurray said.
"It's great that we can bring the car to New Zealand this week as a front-runner. Kiwis should be proud of our team because we aced the pit stop, Jonny gave it everything he had and we tried desperately hard to score points."
France, which won both races today for the third round in succession, took their tally to 71 points, including a bonus point for the day's fastest lap.
Brazil remain second on 52 points and Switzerland stay third on 47 points. New Zealand is fourth on 32, just one point ahead of 5 th placed Great Britain, with Portugal moving up to sixth on 27 and Australia and Netherlands seventh equal on 26 points.
The Feature Race was a crash fest with the biggest incident involving Japan splitting their car in two and causing 13 of the final 15 laps to be run under a yellow flag.
France was followed home by Great Britain with Switzerland 3rd, the Netherlands 4th and Malaysia 5th. The Australian team edged out Portugal, with Reid just holding out a fast-finishing Brazil to pick up his three points for 8th. The USA was 10th.
The 22-year-old Reid had earlier finished the Sprint Race out of the points in 14th place. A good start where he picked up three places from 14 th was ruined when he was pushed off the track into the kitty litter by Mexico.
Reid dropped back to 20th after the Mexican stand off, but picked up six places through good driving and attrition. Six of the 24 starters crashed out, but the usual suspects picked up points with France cruising to victory ahead of Portugal and Brazil. Ireland and Great Britain rounded out the top five.
An exhausted Reid said the weekend had been a big learning experience and he was rapt with the whole team's efforts.
"I know how hard the mechanics worked to put in our original engine and also another gearbox overnight," Reid said. "The racing itself wasn't a personal best, but I was working pretty darn hard for my supper!
"It'll be good to relax for a few days and Matt (Halliday) and I are looking forward to heading home with the car to show it off."
McMurray says he was happy the team made the engine and gearbox changes to the car following Saturday's qualifying, where Reid could only manage 14th after spending most of the weekend among the pace-setters.
"It gives us more information to work with for the next race and it gave Jonny peace of mind," McMurray said. "We still have a lot of work to do to get the car where we want it, but we'll be leaving no nut or bolt unturned to do that."
McMurray said the team was gratified to hear that Japanese driver Hayanari Shimoda emerged from his horrific crash with no major injuries.
"We're a tight community and wish Hayanari all the best. It's testament to the strength of the Lola chassis that he remained safe after such a major mishap."
Switzerland
Packed grandstands of excited fans welcomed another podium for Neel Jani on occasion of the first race of the new A1 Grand Prix series at the Eastern Creek track. The weather was kind too with blue skies and bright sunshine chasing away any sign of clouds or rain.
After a morning warm-up where Neel Jani finished in ninth position, A1 Team Switzerland finished the sprint race in sixth place. It was a tough race for Neel Jani still suffering from fever since the start of the week and not fully fit. The Swiss driver finished on the podium in third place for the 40 laps long feature race.
Neel Jani commented: "I am more than happy about my achievement today. At some point I was feeling weak in the car. But luckily the pace car came out and I was able to relax and I am really happy to have scored some good points in the two races today."
Max Welti, team principal, A1 Team Switzerland commented: " It was a good day for Neel Jani: A strong drive that saw him finish third in the feature race after a six place in the sprint race. He pushed hard to finish the race on the podium. The team did a great job with the set up. Neel had two good starts and two good races.
Considering that he still had fever and that his condition was not good, he really deserves his podium today."
Australia
Will Davison guided A1 Team Australia's Foster's sponsored car to a superb sixth position today in the fourth round of the A1 Grand Prix series at Sydney's Eastern Creek International Raceway.
Whilst not scoring the podium result he came into the weekend confident of, the 23 year old was satisfied with the result – A1 Team Australia garnering five points towards their World Cup of Motorsport tally, now sitting in seventh place on 26 points.
"It was a very enjoyable race. We set some high goals coming into this event - we wanted to finish on the podium. We didn't quite do that, but we achieved a fantastic result in front of a huge home crowd."
Davison had to withstand a challenge from Portugal's Alvaro Parente, his sparring partner from the previous round in Parente's home country.
"We got one back on him there actually," laughed Davison. "I was wary that he was behind me, particularly in the late stages of the race. He was desperate to get past today, but I wasn't going to let him. He got past me in Portugal late in the race and there was no way that it was happening again!"
Davison was right on the gearbox of A1 Team Malaysia's Alex Yoong for the majority of the race, after an aggressive opening lap move on Jos Verstappen in the Netherlands entry and the Mexican positioned him well into the top ten, but was unable to make the crucial pass on Yoong and move into the top five.
Team boss, Alan Jones, was happy with the result, especially in front of a huge crowd of 51,000 that visited the Western Sydney venue over the three days of the event.
"I'm happy, for sure," said Jones. "Will did a great job. The racing was very tough, there was a lot going on out on the track and he kept his nose clean and brought it home."
Attention for A1 Team Australia now switches to the sensational Sepang Circuit just outside Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, where Jones is hoping for yet more points in two weeks time.
"We've got to do something to peg the French back!" AJ quipped. "They've got their act together well and are obviously the benchmark at the moment. We have a few ideas as to what we will do in Malaysia, but we won't know until we get there.
Jones went on to confirm that the Eastern Creek driving team of Will Davison and Christian Jones will remain.
Netherlands
A1 Team Netherlands has moved up to a joint seventh position in the Championship after two strong races today during the A1 Grand Prix of Nations Australia, at Eastern Creek. Jos Verstappen finished the Sprint race in seventh place and drove to a fourth place in the Feature race. With a total of 11 points the team scores its best result in a race weekend of the season so far.
The day started well for A1 Team Netherlands with a third time in the warm up. During the Sprint race, which was shortened by one lap because of a number of safety car situations, Verstappen managed to gain one spot from his grid position. Overtaking proved very hard on the narrow track of Eastern Creek and regrettably a higher finish was not possible. With that seventh place the team did secure the first four points of the weekend.
In the feature race Verstappen did not have a very good start. A perfect call from engineer Graham Taylor, who called Verstappen in at the right time during a safety car situation, and a very fast executed pitstop, again the fastest of all teams, took Verstappen into the front of the field, just behind Switzerland. The Feature race was shortened by 5 laps, because of a number of neutralisations. With 15 laps remaining a very heavy crash of Japanese driver Shimoda caused the longest neutralisation of the race. In turn 1 the Japanese driver went off at full speed and hit the tyre wall awfully hard. The car was written off completely, but the Japan driver luckily stayed unharmed. In the remaining two laps Verstappen put Jani of Switzerland under some pressure, but he did not manage to overtake the Swiss driver. However, the fourth place and the resulting seven points are the best result for A1 Team Netherlands in a Feature race so far.
Jos Verstappen; "I had a bad start in the second race, but at the pitstop all the mechanics made up for that completely. With that stop we overtook three men and I'm very happy with that. It's a circuit where overtaking is next to impossible, otherwise we could have had even more. I'm more than satisfied with the weekend. Sometimes it was hard finding the balance. To finish off with a seventh and fourth place, I think we have got little to complain about, especially with that fourth place."
Jan Lammers; "We have gained ground in the Championship, that's very good. Again we had the fastest pitstop of everybody. With that we managed to move Jos more in front. When we are racing we are just as fast as Switzerland and we have the same pace as the teams driving second and third. We only have to improve on our qualifying, that will be our next task. We just have to finish up in the top four in qualifying. In the Championship we have moved up from a joint ninth to a joint seventh position, so we are still moving forward. And, for the first time we have finished both races in one weekend."
With 25 points in the bag A1 Team Netherlands sets of for the fifth race in the A1 Grand Prix Championship. That will take place on November 20 at the circuit of Sepang in Malaysia, a track that A1 Team Netherlands driver Jos Verstappen knows very well from his Formula 1 period.
Lebanon
A1 Team Lebanon led during the Feature race and finished 12th at the end of an incident-packed hour of wheel-to-wheel racing, which followed a 20th place finish in the earlier 20 lap Sprint race. The team competed in front of a supportive crowd with Lebanese flags waving throughout the spectator areas.
In the Sprint race Shaaban made a clean start, moving forward and benefiting from first corner tangles of front runners, to take 17th place at the end of the first lap. Losing a couple of places on the restart, Shaaban ran in 19th spot, dropping to 20th after contact with South Africa as the two nations fought for position. Rear suspension damage sustained in this incident made the car difficult for Shaaban to continue driving, and with a 20th place grid slot guaranteed, the team opted to retire from the race and allow maximum time for repairing the car before the main Feature race.
Shaaban made a flying start from the grid in the Feature race, making up six places to lie 14th at the end of the first lap. With rival teams opting for early pitstops, Lebanon moved up the field over the next few laps until, after all other cars having pitted, A1 Team Lebanon led the race. A safety car period resulted in Shaaban leading the field for three laps behind a pace car, with his tyres cooling quickly.
As the grid returned to green flag racing, Shaaban took the restart well, but his used tyres were no match against his rivals who all had new tyres after their mandatory pit stops. Shaaban pitted after 17 laps, which pushed him back down the field, to lie 19th.
The incident-packed race saw many more experienced drivers tangling, which Shaaban avoided, improving his position as the race reached half distance, lying 14th when the safety car was deployed for the fourth time. As the one hour time limit approached, the pack was released and Shaaban grasped the chance, overtaking rival team India to move into 13th and inheriting 12th place finish when Ireland lost places for a rules infringement.
Shaaban commented, "We made some changes to help on the restarts, which made the car a bit difficult to drive when the pace was on. We tried to stay out of trouble, we were leading for a while which was very exciting and gave me the experience of setting the pace and taking the restart from the front. The crew did a very quick pitstop for me and we were able to rejoin the race at a good pace and at the final restart I passed India to make another place."
"Basil drove well today" said A1 Team Lebanon seat holder, Tameem Auchi, who attends each A1 Grand Prix race weekend. "He kept his head, avoided the many accidents and brought the A1 Team Lebanon car home in a respectable finish position. Basil handled the responsibility of leading the race with maturity and a calm approach, allowing the faster, more experienced drivers to pass, but racing hard with them as well. We're still chasing our first top ten finish, but we hope we're nearing this goal as we gain more experience each weekend. I would also like to thank the Lebanese community in Australia for the support that they gave us during our time in Sydney. We look forward to seeing them again next year!"
India
Sunday morning at the Eastern Creek International raceway was warm and sunny. The weather forecast was for a partly cloudy sky with temperatures ranging between 19°C and 21°C, and only a 20% chance of precipitation. In short, almost perfect weather for racing. And the racing was really excellent, with both races featuring exciting moments, and plenty of overtaking, something which has been absent from many of the top levels of international single seater racing.
A1 team India started the sprint from 24th place, with a race strategy to move up the grid by a few places, thus starting the feature race a bit further up the grid. A steady drive was what was required from A1 Team India's driver Armaan Ebrahim, and that's exactly what he delivered. He drove what was visibly a difficult handling car very smoothly, making almost no mistakes. This resulted in a solid 17th place finish, a job well done.
With just one hour between the finish of the sprint race and the beginning of the feature race, this leaves the teams with hardly any time to make any changes to the setup of the car. The car's handling in the feature race did not improve at all. In fact the handling got worse as the laps went on, and the car was virtually impossible to drive, with pronounced understeer going into the corners, followed by a very loose and oversteering rear end while exiting the corners. A1 Team India's driver Armaan Ebrahim was constantly on the radio with the team informing them of the handling of the car. He was advised by the Team Manager and Engineers to just settle into a groove and make sure the car stays on the road. Although this proved to be a trying task, A1 Team India proved to be up to the job and delivered some consistent lap-times, not losing much time to the front-runners.
In the feature race, A1 Team India decided to do their compulsory pit-stop on lap 2, as in some of the previous races, it has been shown that an early pit-stop can improve a teams overall track position. This strategic advantage was unfortunately negated by the safety car coming out a couple of laps later. A1 Team India then settled into a rhythm and with the car's handling progressively declining, a stable run what was required. With approximately 12 laps to go, A1 Team India still had 6 uses of the powerboost™. It was hoped that in the last few laps with the uses of these powerboost™, A1 Team India would be able to make up a few places. Unfortunately A1 Team Japan's driver Hayanari Shimoda had a huge accident going into Turn 1, and rolled the car several times before crashing into a concrete barrier. The car broke into several pieces, but thanks to the excellent construction quality and outstanding design of the A1 chassis, the driver was not injured. This incident brought out the safety car, and by the time the track was cleared of all the wreckage, there were only two laps to go until the end of the race. This did not leave A1 Team India with any chance of making up places before the end of the race.
A1 Team India finished the feature race in 14th place, an improvement of 3 places from the sprint race earlier today. The consistent driving of A1 Team India's driver Armaan Ebrahim has brought A1 Team India a second successive weekend with finishes in both the sprint and feature races. From here, the team can look forward to the next race at Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with increasing confidence as it is a familiar track for the entire team.
Mr. Atul Gupta, Chairman of A1 Team India, who was present at the race said, "It is encouraging to see that the team has performed consistently over the last two races and there is increase in confidence in the Indian camp, especially in the areas of pit-stops, and in the overall understanding of the car. I'm sure this growing confidence will enable us to achieve top 10 results in the future and earn us our first championship points."
Malaysia
A1 Team Malaysia enjoyed a strong performance this weekend in Eastern Creek, Sydney, with Alex Yoong finishing eighth in the Sprint race and fifth in the main Feature race, the best result for the team so far this season. The team lie tenth in the overall World Cup of Motorsport points standings.
Yoong made a clean start for the Sprint race, keeping away from the inevitable first and second corner incidents, and holding position to run in 8th place. Scoring three points after retaining his position until the chequered flag, Yoong was pleased to finish the race in the points and was prepared to fight hard from his 8th place start position for the main Feature race.
Lining up on the fourth row of the grid for the Feature race, Yoong made a strong start, gaining two places after the first lap and then gaining another to lie fourth at the end of the second. Opting for an early pit stop to take advantage of a safety car period, Yoong rejoined the pack in sixth place, then made back a place to lie fifth, with a further safety car period after nineteen laps bunching up the pack before the restart.
The incident-packed race was disrupted by four safety car periods and each time Yoong kept his cool, maintaining fifth position. The final safety car period came near the end of the one-hour Feature race time limit, but green flag racing resumed for a final two laps which saw Yoong cross the line in fifth place, to score six more championship points.
Yoong said after the race, "It was difficult for us, as we set our tyre pressures a little bit lower than normal because of the heat, so we were suffering in the safety car periods because the tyre pressures were going too low. On the restarts it took us a couple of laps to get back up to speed. If we hadn't had so many safety car periods it would have worked out well for us, because the longer the run went the quicker the quicker the car got. It went well for us though; we achieved our goal today; it was a good result."
"We're all pleased with the outcome of the weekend," added Jack Cunningham, Team Principal, A1 Team Malaysia. "We're in the top ten of the World Cup of Motorsport after four rounds of the Series. Alex drove very well again today, staying out of trouble, maintaining a strong race pace and bringing the car home in the top five. We move on to Malaysia now justifiably confident that we can have a strong showing for the home crowds in two weeks time."
Brazil
A1 Team Brasil had a mixed day today after Nelson finished third on the podium in the sprint race, but then a pitstop error meant he finished the feature race in tenth position.
Starting from fourth place, on the second row of the grid, Nelson got a great start in the sprint race and passed Team Switzerland's Neel Jani for third place, behind the entries of Team France, with Nicolas Lapierre at the wheel, and Team Portugal's Alvaro Parente. Throughout the 20-lap race, there were two safety car periods, after which the top three remained unchanged. Nelson put in a strong challenge for second, and was on the tail of Team Portugal for much of the second half of the race, but with a little caution in mind for the second race, he eventually settled for third position, scoring Team Brasil's fifth podium of the season.
The 40-lap feature race, turned into a difficult battle for the team. Although Nelson remained third after the start, he fell to fourth on the first lap after being overtaken by Great Britain. He came in for the team's compulsory pitstop on lap 8, which turned out badly as the pitstop took almost twice the usual time due to a sticking wheel nut. Nelson emerged in 11th position, and within two laps had risen to eighth. However, Nelson was then forced to make a drive through penalty as the team was penalised over one of the wheel nut gun hoses being left by a mechanic in the pitlane after the pitstop.
Nelson came back out after the penalty in 16th position and with 15 laps to go had made his way up to tenth, the first points scoring position. The safety car was then deployed after an accident which badly damaged the Team Japan car, and it came in with only two laps remaining of the race. With no time to make up any further places, Team Brasil came home in tenth, picking up one point.
With Team France winning a further two races today, they stay in the lead in the championship with 71 points. Team Brasil remain in second position with 51 points, with Team Switzerland third on 47 points.
Nelson Piquet Jr: "It was a difficult day for me. The first race was okay but then the second race was a big mess because of the pitstop. The good thing is that the car was strong all day. In the first race we got a good start and we were much quicker than the Portugal car but partly it was a little difficult to overtake and also I was being a bit careful because of the position in the second race. The second race we were really looking good, I was quick and I thought we could do even better. But then we had the mess with the pitstop and then the drive through and the race was over for me. I still got nine points today but we have fallen further behind France. We need to work hard ready for the next race."
Emerson Fittipaldi: "The car was very good in the first race, and Nelson was very optimistic for the second race. I was very happy with the car and then when we came in the pitstop the front wheel nut on the right side would not come off and we lost time. Then we started to overtake a lot of people, Nelson was doing a great race. Then we had some bad news because one of the mechanics left the hose in the pits and they penalised us. Again, after that Nelson was very aggressive and passing a lot of people but we lost so much time on the pitstop and the penalty. The championship is still completely open, and I am not even worried about that, I still think we are in a very strong position and we have been one of the fastest cars in every race."
South Africa
After getting squeezed off the outside of turn two in the usual hectic first-lap scramble, South Africa's Stephen Simpson had to fight back from last place in the opening laps of the sprint race only to be knocked out of the race after contact with the Lebanon's Basil Shaaban on lap 9.
The 19-lap race, which featured a rolling start, was won in hot and sunny conditions from pole position by France (Nicolas Lapierre), from Portugal (Alvaro Parente) and Brazil (Nelson Piquet Jr). It was France's fifth win from five races and Lapierre's third successive victory. Lapierre was also credited with the fastest lap of 1m 19,75s on lap 8.
"I was forced wide and into the dirt in turn two on lap one, which dropped me to the back of the field," said Simpson. "I managed to get back a few places, but then there was contact with Lebanon (Basil Shaaban) on lap 9. Vulindlela suffered right rear suspension damage after being hit from behind, but we'll be ready in time for the feature race."
In a race of attrition which saw just 14 of the 24 starters complete the 35 laps, there was disappointment for South Africa as Stephen Simpson crashed Vulindlela into a concrete wall at high speed after swerving to avoid a slowing Italy in turn 7 on the opening lap.
"I made quiet a good start from 21st on the grid and had passed four cars by turn six," said Simpson. "I was behind Italy (Enrico Toccacelo) as we entered turn 7 when he slowed suddenly on the racing line and I was forced to swerve to the left to avoid him. I lost control and the car slammed into the wall. It was a big disappointment as the car felt really good today. If we'd kept out of trouble we were on for a top 10 result at least."
France completed total domination of the weekend by winning the race (their sixth in a row) by 2,47s from Great Britain and 3,01s ahead of Switzerland and setting the fastest lap time (1m 21,01s).
Canada
Sean McIntosh and A1 Team Canada didn't have their best of weekends. After a promising practice session yesterday when Sean set the fourth fastest lap, it was a difficult first corner of race one that led to him losing two places in traffic to put him 9th. He maintained position to the end and bagged another two points in the team's championship campaign. Race two didn't go according to plan either when a first-corner accident put Sean at the back in 24th place. From there he was making his way through the field, pitted early to gain clean air, and carried on gaining places until he was in 10th and in line for at least another point when a suspension part failed ending his race.
Sean McIntosh - Sprint race: "It was a fairly boring race. Went down the inside and a couple of guys went round the outside and I was in ninth. From there it was pretty processional. With the heat we lost a bit on the slow speed stuff but I'm sure we can get it sorted out and with the high temperature it's going to be a long long 40 laps in the Feature race."
Feature race: "We went into the first corner and I don't know who hit my left rear but I went up into the air and from there I was last. The boys called an early pit stop. We came in behind about three cars but came out ahead of all of them so we gained some time and places there. The pit stop was really eally good. We were in tenth – there was still carnage out there so we were under a safety car when one of the wishbones failed. Nothing we could do about it – one of those things that happens in Motorsport.
"My highpoint of the weekend was definitely that lap in qualifying which shows we have the pace but have to refine a few things and get the race pace back. We have to look for two solid results in Malaysia."
John Village, Team Manager: "One of those good and bad weekends. Good qualifying. Average first race. Unlucky second race."
Britain
In the Sprint race there was a brief exchange of places but by the end of the first lap A1Team.GBR crossed the line in fifth. From there it was a case of staying out of trouble in preparation for the Feature race. After a troubled second race start Robbie Kerr regained the lost two places on the first corner and then managed to manoeuvre around the A1 Team Switzerland car on turn two. Having made it into fourth place he took the opportunity on the next lap to make a fantastic overtaking move on Brazil's Nelson Piquet Jr to take third. A1 Team Portugal was in first until they took a drive through penalty for a jump start which meant that France was leading the race from Great Britain. On lap 10 of the 35 lap race, both teams pitted taking advantage of a safety car but both teams had trouble free tyre changes so the order remained the same. Despite several safety car spells, France always managed to maintain the advantage on restarts by controlling the pace and so Britain's second podium of the series was destined again to be the silver and not the coveted gold.
Robbie Kerr - Sprint race: "I got a good start – but got boxed in a bit which was unfortunate. We had a bit of a handling problem that we're looking and making a change for by the next race. We kept a good steady fifth which is a good result and gives us an opportunity to do something in the feature race."
Feature race: "It was a good race. From the start we got a bit of a bad start and lost a couple of places. Squeezed back into fourth which I was pleased with and then it was a case of getting my head down and chasing Nelson [Brazil]. Caught him – went to go down the inside of him on the first corner but there wasn't quite enough room. But he drove very fairly and gave me just enough space. Then going into the second corner I dived back down the inside of him and we held second place to the end. The guys did a fantastic pit-stop once again but unfortunately in the second part of the race the French car had a bit more pace than us. On the restarts under the safety car France could dictate the pace and combined with an engine stutter a couple of time it hurt us – gave France the opportunity to pull out a lead and Switzerland the chance to challenge. Overall it's been a great event – we've moved up in the championship and it's been great fun being in Australia and getting the support from the people here."
John Surtees, Team Principal: "It's a good result. Robbie has done what's asked of him – keeping it all together under a certain pressure. When you're in that position under a course car the person in front can obviously dictate when he decides to go. It's very difficult and something that Robbie needs to work on but he remains steady under pressure as the Swiss car was trying to take advantage of losing his lead with the pace car each time so it wasn't easy. After the disappointment of Portugal it was rather nice for him to get back in the groove. It's good for the team – it lifts them but we have a little way to go and with a bit of luck that will come and allow us to compete with an extremely good team – the French. They're right on the ball in all divisions and you see two excellent drivers so we need to make certain that we give a car to Robbie that can match theirs."
Pakistan
A1 Team Pakistan received great support from Australian based Pakistani's on Race Day at Eastern Creek, Australia. Supporters flew their flags with pride as Adam Khan and A1 Team Pakistan delivered an impressive performance in the first race of the day, the 18-lap Sprint Race.
Adam Khan started in 17th position on the grid and drove assertively to take 12th place where he put consistent pressure on the home team of A1 Team Australia running in 11th. Will Davison pleased the Australian crowd by successfully defending their position to the end of a race that saw Nicolas Lapierre of A1 Team France as the eventual winner.
The session was littered with race incidents and retirements as drivers battled hard to gain better positions. A1 Teams returning early to the pit included Germany, Czech Republic, Mexico and South Africa, testing the skills of all the remaining drivers to avoid a similar fate on this undulating track. Adam showed great maturity in his approach to the race, ensuring an improved starting position for A1 Team Pakistan.
Starting in 12th on the grid for the main event, the hour-long Feature Race, Adam Khan moved quickly up to 10th place, before the safety car was deployed after an incident between the teams from Mexico and Russia. Taking advantage of the safety car situation, the Team brought the car in for the mandatory tyre change, but re-emerged in 15th place.
A hard fought battle in the middle of the field then took place seeing Adam regain his 12th position. A dramatic high-speed crash by A1 Team China with 15 laps remaining brought out the safety car once more. When a safety car is brought in to the race, drivers must remain in their position with no over-taking permitted. Whilst Chinese driver, Hayanari Shimoda, was freed from the car, moved to the medical centre and wreckage removed from the track the drivers patiently remained in their positions.
With just four minutes remaining when the safety car came back in the time proved too short for Adam to improve on his 12th position. However, an infringement by A1 Team Ireland led to them dropping down the order and Adam moving up to 11th place. France continued its domination of the series as the winner of the Feature Race with British driver Robbie Kerr in second and A1 Team Switzerland in third.
Commenting immediately after the race, Adam Khan said: "I have pretty mixed emotions about today. It was great to come up from 17th on the grid this morning and I am delighted that once again we finished the race and in the top half of the field. However, it was frustrating not to be able to race for such a long period at the end of the Feature but I hope that Hyanari is OK which is the most important consideration."
Chairman of A1 Team Pakistan, Arif Husain added: "It was a good, solid and encouraging performance by the Team. It was also very rewarding to see so many Pakistani flags in the crowds and that is what this is all about – national pride. I spent time meeting our supporters and their words of encouragement and praise delighted the Team. I am sure that this echoes the support we have back in Pakistan."
Portugal
A1 Team Portugal showed strength and excellence in today's performance at Eastern Creek. The day begun with Portugal achieving the best time in the morning warm up session. At 1.30 pm (local time) started the Sprint Race, from which Álvaro Parente departed from the second place, the same position that took A1 Team Portugal to the podium. It was a thrilling race since the emotions were present from the beginning, with Brazil trying to overtake Portugal in the battle for the second place.
Álvaro Parente: "The team was very good in the first race. We are making progresses and finding the correct set up's. The team took the best from the used tyres being able to maintain the second place till the chequered flag. I'm overjoyed because we took Portugal to the podium and I believe this result shows the good work that is being done".
After celebrating the presence in the podium, hopes were very high for the Feature Race. Álvaro had an amazing start, overtaking Lapierre in the dispute for the first position. In the seventh lap, when he was still leading, the marshals decided that A1 Team Portugal should be penalized with a drive through the pits. Parente came back out in the fifth position. In the next lap he made his planned pit stop and returned on ninth. The Portuguese driver kept his competitiveness and made up two places, finishing in seventh.
Álvaro Parente: "I had a good start in the Feature Race and I was convinced that we would be in the podium once more. Suddenly the team informed me that we've been penalized with a drive through the pits. This made us lose lots of time but I gave my best trying to recover the lost positions. Although, the several entries of the safety car didn't help us",
Luís Vicente: "The first race has confirmed the good pace of A1 Team Portugal. Finally, we've conquered our first podium, after a race where Álvaro showed once more that he is a top driver. We should have been in the podium in Feature Race if we weren't penalized. I'm happy with the work done in Eastern Creek and I hope that the Portuguese presence in the podium can happen with regularity from now on".
Japan
Hayanari Shimoda, driving for A1 Team Japan for the first time this weekend. The young Japanese driver was involved in a dramatic accident in the main Feature race, while lying in 15th place, escaping with concussion and no other injuries. Shimoda finished 18th in the Sprint race earlier in the day.
Malcolm Swetnam (Team Manager, A1 Team Japan): "Hayanari is fine. He's a little concussed, but the car did an exceptional job at protecting him. The safety cell on the A1 racing car stood up to the impact brilliantly. He was a little woozy in the car when the safety crew reached him, but they got to him very quickly and he was taken to the medical centre. All his vital signs are good, and the doctors are transferring him to a local hospital for a CT scan, and they will probably keep him in overnight because it was a big impact and they'll want to keep an eye on him. Of course, our priority is Hayanari's well being and we hope that he recovers quickly."
Dr Paul Trafford (A1 Grand Prix Chief Medical Officer): "The protective tub did its job. Hayanari hit his head in the impact and was concussed. He has been conversing with medical staff and has no other injuries. He will be transferred to a local hospital for CT scans and kept in overnight for observation."
Germany
A1 Team Germany leaves the season's first 'flyaway' race in Australia empty handed after a collision put paid to the Willi Weber managed team's chances early on. A1 Team Germany remain 14th overall in the point standings in the 25 nation competition.
After qualifying on the sixth row for today's race around the narrow track at Eastern Creek, A1 Team Germany failed to take the chequered flag for the first time in both races this season. During an action packed opening lap, in which Adrian Sutil maintained his 12th position, an accident involving the South African and Czech Republic A1 Grand Prix team cars resulted in the safety-car being deployed. At the restart, the youngster from Graefelfing near Munich collided with the A1 Team Mexico entry putting both cars out immediately on the spot. The 520 hp car of A1 Team Germany was repaired in time for the 22-year old to start the feature race. The team made the mandatory pit stop immediately after the first lap to put the A1 Team Germany car in clear air and make up places. Unfortunately Sutil had to retire as the car had sustained more damage than originally thought.
Adrian Sutil: "It's a real pity that I didn't finish in Australia. In the sprint race, I made sure that I got a good exit from the flat-out left-hand corner to try and overtake A1 Team Mexico's Salvador Duran braking for the next corner. Unfortunately, just as I started the move he also attempted to overtake another car. I moved over to avoid contact, got on the slippery grass, couldn't slow down and I rode over the back of his car. It was quite simply a misunderstanding. The team did a fantastic job to repair the damage in time for the feature race. Sadly I had to retire after seven laps because the damage to the rear suspension was worse than expected. I think there was some damage to the spring-damper system as the car was undriveable and I had no grip whatsoever. I can't wait for round five of the A1 Grand Prix series in Malaysia in a fortnight's time where we can put our misfortunes behind us."
Willi Weber: "I'm disappointed that A1 Team Germany didn't take the chequered flag in either of the races. We need to put this unfortunate string of events behind us in order to stay focused and exploit our true potential."
Ireland
Michael Devaney netted Ireland 7 championship points with an impressive drive into 4th place in the Sprint Race at Eastern Creek, though a series of incidents and a time penalty in the Feature Race resulted in a 14th place. Starting from 6th place on the grid for the Sprint Race the 20 year old Dublin driver powered his way around the outside of Great Britain and Switzerland to claim 4th position which he held to the finish. In the Feature Race Michael again held 4th place going into the second turn but ran wide and slid off the track before rejoining in mid-field. The team opted for an early pit stop and the A1 Team Ireland car recovered well to hold 6th but then dropped two places following the first Safety Car restart. Although Michael passed New Zealand at the second Safety Car restart he had mistimed his move, so although he finished 8th on the track he incurred a 25 second penalty, dropping him to 14th position.
Michael Devaney: "The Sprint Race could not have gone any better. I realised Great Britain and Switzerland were getting caught up on the inside so I went around them and managed to take 4th. From then on it was just a case of controlling it. In contrast the Feature Race couldn’t have gone much worse because I went off the track at Turn 2 and then had problems with the first two Safety Car periods. I didn’t realise I’d mistimed the move on New Zealand but we paid dearly for it. I set the third fastest lap of the main race, a good indicator of the progress we’ve made."
Andy Miller, Technical Director: "The Sprint Race went according to plan, Michael drove strongly and was never threatened in 4th. It boded well for the main race but a slow start and over-ambitious move at the second corner started a sequence of problems which cost us. We tried to recover with the early pit stop but the race was compromised and the overtaking error on the restart ended any hope we had."
Mark Gallagher, Team Principal: "It’s been a character-building day for us, from the highs of the Sprint Race when Michael drove superbly and scored a very fine 4th place, to the disappointment of the Feature Race and the time penalty. What’s very clear is that our car has the speed to run at the front and Michael has the talent to deliver."
Czech Republic
The Czech team left Eastern Creek empty handed after Tomas Enge had accidents at the hairpin in both races that were incidents filled.
The fourth event of the World Cup of Motorsport at Eastern Creek, Australia offered really dramatic spectacle with many accidents especially in the feature race. The Czech team got solid support around the track and was also visited by Mr Karel Pazourek, the Czech ambassador in Australia. Unfortunately for all fans in Australia and at home, Tomas Enge did not see the checquered flag in either race.
The sprint race was very short for the Czech team. Enge was on the outside after the start but he had nowhere to go at the second corner and had to go to the grass where his hopes ended. The Czech had a steep hill to climb in the feature race because Enge was last on the grid of the feature race. Twenty nine year old driver managed to avoid incidents at the beginning of the race and was steadily moving forward as the race progressed. The team used the first safety car period for the mandatory pitstop and Enge was fighting in the middle of the field. However, his effort ended at the hairpin again. This time he went for the inside line in an attempt to overtake Mattias Lauda on lap 18 but the Austrian driver closed the door and the cars touched and both drivers had to retire.
The Czech team lay 13th in the championship standing with eight points from Estoril. Next race hosts Sepang in Malaysia in the fortnights time.
Tomas Enge: "It was weekend to forget. We improved the car bit by bit but still it was not perfect. We were also unfortunate with the accidents. There was no space for me at the hairpin in the sprint race. The others are coming towards me and I did not want to collide with them, so I went to the grass and that was it. I had to risk a bit in the main race given the fact that I was last on the grid. It is not an easy track to overtake, some drivers were driving in the hard way and they blocked a lot. I tried to overtake Lauda twice before the accident and he shut the door. He left them open at the hairpin, so I dived inside but he turned like I had not been there and we crashed. The setup of the car was better that in the warm up but it was not easy to drive because I was running behind other cars all the time and the downforce was not ideal as a result. We have to come over it quickly and focus on the next race."
Russia
Roman Rusinov finished the sprint race in an excellent 13th position, but was involved in an accident with "Mexico" and was pushed off in the feature race.
The day was doing fine for Roman Rusinov. In his first race with the A1 Team Russia he finished 11th in the morning warm up. (1.21.789).
The weather was finally warm over the Australian track with blue skies and bright sunshine chasing away any sign of clouds.
Rookie Roman Rusinov commented: "I finished my seven laps in 1.21.789. I was getting used to the car although the tyres were not fantastic towards the end of the session. I was hoping for a good race after my first morning warm-up went well. The car was strong."
Later on, Roman finished 13th in the Sunday's sprint race: "I made good progress. The start was no problem. The first corner was hot. But I went carefully around and let some cars go by. Later on I passed them again despite the narrow track. The 20 laps sprint race was never boring and I am proud to have brought the car to a good finish".
The second race was more difficult for me. I was progressing well after a good start and was already up to ninth place. Then a yellow flag was brought out. I saw a car go fast like a rocket pass me. That was Duran in my way. He could not avoid me. That was the end of my race. What a day!"
France
After the fourth round of the new A1 Grand Prix Series, Team A1 France is ranking in first place of the Championship with 71 points. Today the team have scored their sixth consecutive win. A perfect day for A1 Team France: in the fourth round of the new A1 Grand Prix Series Nicolas Lapierre for the "A1 team France" managed to clinch a dual victory.
In the morning, France was in fourth position at the warm-up: "During the whole week-end, we have had a very good car. This morning, we had a lot of fuel during the warm up. The first lap of the sprint race will be decisive. The sprint race is very important because this is where you take the position for the next race. Let's see how it goes."
In the feature race at the "A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia" Nicolas Lapierre took again the 520-hp French A1 Grand Prix car across the finish line as the first car in the field in the subsequent feature race covering 40 laps. The 21-year-old, who had started from the pole position as well,
Nicolas Lapierre: "A perfect weekend for us. The car was fast from the first lap onwards and we didn't have to make a lot of changes. At the start, I had to watch out a bit of the cars behind me in the feature race. I saw Alvaro Parente pass me, and did not know where he was coming from. Later the team told me he had a "stop and go" penalty for jumping the start. We had an excellent strategy. After the perfect pit stop I was able to push again. I'm proud of my team who did a one-hundred-percent job the whole weekend. I think that m we showed again a fantastic performance. This is great team-work. I had to win because of Alex's performance last race. Now it will be his turn again to act in Malaysia. Six wins is really excellent forA1 France."
Jean-Paul Driot, team manager of A1 Team France, added: "I really can't say a lot more. A1 Team France has now 71 points. The team made no mistakes from start to finish. A perfect day."