27/01/2006
NEWS STORY
Ireland
Rain made driving conditions difficult at today's practice sessions in Durban, South Africa as the second leg of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations got under way. A1 Team Ireland driver Ralph Firman overcame a serious stomach illness that left him seriously ill and without sleep all night but he decided to carry on and drive in today's first practice session even though reserve driver Michael Devaney was put on stand by. In the first street race of the series conditions got wetter throughout the day leaving the 3.283km saturated in parts. In practice two Firman used the fact that few cars went out on track to his advantage to familiarise himself with the oceanfront street circuit. Ralph Firman overcame appalling conditions in today's two sessions in Durban Portugal, setting the 7th fastest time on a rain washed circuit.
Ralph Firman: "Great to be racing on a street circuit again as it's a good challenge. It was very difficult today with the rain but made it an interesting track as there was not much moving in the dry. We got a good balance in the rain but the track was very bumpy in parts and corners are slow but its a good challenge from a street circuit point of view. It's nice to be back racing again for A1 Team Ireland and I'm looking forward to the weekend and the first race of the New Year".
Andy Miller, Technical Director: "It's been a day of frustrations caused by the weather and driving on a new circuit. It would be nice if we could just get a little more consistent running tomorrow morning".
Mark Gallagher, Team Principal: "Today was something of a wash out but we decided to get in quite a few laps to learn the track and give Ralph some time in the car. Given the conditions and the fact that Ralph's been so ill last night, it was really quite productive in the end. Hopefully the conditions will improve tomorrow and the weekend will begin in earnest."
Switzerland
A1 Team Switzerland weathered the heavy rain which disrupted today's two free practice sessions in Durban, South Africa.
Under heavy rain, A1 Team Switzerland concentrated on finding the right set-up for tomorrow's qualifying, thought the conditions meant that running was limited.
Neel Jani comments: "It was a strange day. On one hand I was happy to be driving on this new circuit and on the other hand I was really cautious. In the morning I scared myself during the first practice as I passed Indonesia's car down the inside and he then ran over my front wing. Luckily he didn't do any major damage. There was no need to take any risks on such a wet track. The rain and many red flags made it difficult to get through much work."
A1 Team Switzerland team principal, Max Welti commented: "This weather is really surprising for the country, we weren't expecting it at all. Neel Jani had a rough day today. It wasn't so easy to work on the car set-up because the conditions were so difficult and we did not want to take any unnecessary risks. We will work very hard tomorrow and fight for a good qualifying result."
France
Heavy rain washed out the first day of practice all-new Durban street circuit in South Africa. The "A1 Grand Prix series" Team France driver Alexandre Prémat completed two installation laps in very wet conditions the first practice session. Choosing to sit out the rest of the session and not risk damaging the car Prémat did not set a time.
In the second session Prémat completed four laps before practice was stopped. His fastest time was 1.37.640, and he finished overall in seventeeth position for the day while Australia finished in front with 1'30.520.
"Today, it was more important to check the systems on the car than to do a fast lap time," Prémat said. "At one point, we thought that the track was going to dry but it did not really. The weather changes all the time here.
We wanted to be careful today not to damage the car in dangerous conditions. The track is quite narrow and the walls are very close. We are not taking any unnecessary risks at this time. I used my first few laps to learn the new track. I'm determined to fight for the win in what will be a very hard race."
Jean-Paul Driot, Team Principal, A1 Team France added: "It was important today not to take any risk or make any mistakes. The track is challenging especially in these wet conditions. We need to be prepared for a perfect race strategy on Sunday."
Britain
A1 Team Great Britain has arrived in South Africa for the second half of the A1 Grand Prix Series with victory very much in mind. Having been on the podium four times, three of which were for second place finishes, it's only a matter of time before A1Team.GBR takes a win. Robbie Kerr is once again driving for his country and as always is looking to move up the championship table. GBR currently lies fourth, 11 points behind Brazil, and with a possible maximum 21 points available over an event it's achievable. Durban is the first A1 Grand Prix street race, so with completely different characteristics, there could be many surprises over the next few days. The business community have welcomed the series as well as the motorsport community and the British Embassy held a function for local business dignitaries.
The business on the track got underway today with two official practice sessions. The rain subsided promising a drying track but then returned at the mid-point to give a mixed first session. Robbie Kerr was running in a new engine so the first few laps were taken with the usual routine that entails. From there he went out to work on set-up and on his tenth lap set a time that would not be bettered given the conditions that caused several red flags and that put him fourth at the end of the session. Session two was then fully wet so times were slower. The wet caused spins and more red flags and at its worst the rain more or less emptied the track as teams waited for conditions to improve. With twenty minutes to go Robbie went back out and made his way up the table to lie in the top three before getting caught in traffic as others made up time, slipping back to 11th.
Robbie Kerr: "The track's in the middle of the city and it was great to see so many spectators. I haven't raced on a street circuit for a while so it's a case of taking it slowly. Today was a case of getting used to the bumps and tight turns and finding the places where you can really push. I'm happy that we've got a competitive car – there's a few things to look at to work on over the weekend – but as always I'm going out for a win this weekend."
John Surtees: "I'm delighted that A1 has been greeted by Durban with such open arms and has embraced the unique business ethos that A1 brings. There are so many opportunities for Durban and I see no reason why it shouldn't become the next Monaco. With the superb Durban facilities, the government and business community support and the convenience of time zone proximity to Europe, it's gratifying to see A1 being the first motorsport to take advantage and reaching out and generating more business for South Africa and to see the participation of the British trade and industry contingent here in Durban.
Netherlands
After the first two free practice sessions of the A1 Grand Prix in Durban, A1 Team Netherlands is looking back pleased at the first real day at the street circuit. Both sessions were mostly run onder wet conditions, which did not make it any easier. The team took no uncalculated risks, but showed it was competitive straight from the start.
In the first free practice session A1 Team Netherlands took fifth place. Verstappen set a fastest time of 1'2.946, under wet conditions. With that time A1 Team Netherlands was one and a half second behind Team India, but Ananda Mikola was able to profit from the dryer track at the start of the session.
In the second session A1 Team Netherlands only went out on track shortly and did not set a time. Especially in the middle of the session the track conditions were so wet, that it would have been to risky going out. ""The conditions now on track are too wet. We changed some things on the car, but it's no good going out right now. A mistake is easily made and we don't want to take that risk", said Bernard Freneix, the new A1 Team Netherlands engineer.
A1 Team Netherlands driver Jos Verstappen was happy that the car felt good in the wet straight from the start. The fact that Verstappen was quick was proven by him taking over several other drivers during the first session.
Jos Verstappen; "To start again after an absence of seven weeks is very nice. It's good to be back in the car again. This morning I familiarized myself with the track. Of course it's all very unusual, at some places it is very narrow. There are lot's of blind corners and it is a very bumpy track. It takes some getting used to, especially after such a long time and on top of that it's raining or wet at least. Then you must begin carefully. We only have one car. But it felt good straight away. We did not go out right at the start. Then the track was quickest I think, it was most dry then. When we went out on track it started raining again. We were competitive immediately and we continued to stay like that throughout the first session. During the second practice, it rained so heavily that we did not do that much. We went out on track twice and both times there was a red flag. Then the session was already finished. In the middle part of the session we did not drive because there was too much water and lot's of drivers spun into the wall. It's no use taking great risks then, you only have one car and so you have to be careful".
Brazil
It was a difficult start to the weekend for A1 Team Brasil today at the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Durban, South Africa. Nelson Piquet Jr, driving for the team, participated in two one-hour free practice sessions.
The Durban track is a street circuit that is extremely narrow with no margin for error. Weather in the area has been unpredictable, and heavy rain fell all day yesterday and into this morning. Although the rain had stopped by the first session this afternoon, the track remained wet and slippery and as a result of both the weather conditions and the nature of the track there were several red flag incidents throughout the two practices.
In the first practice, Nelson completed 16 laps, recording a fastest time of 1:30.541. After starting well in the second session, weather conditions began to deteriorate rapidly once again, and Nelson unfortunately had an accident coming onto the pit straight after five laps and was unable to take part in the remainder of the session.
Teams will have one further hour of practice tomorrow morning before the afternoon's four-part qualifying session to determine the grid line-up for Sunday's race.
Nelson Piquet Jr: "It hasn't been an ideal start. The car wasn't too bad this morning, we were doing some okay times and I think there was some more to come. Unfortunately we had some bad weather and some traffic and I had an accident right at the start of the second practice. We will have to work hard tomorrow morning in practice to get ready for qualifying."
Germany
At the seventh round of the A1 Grand Prix Series staged in South Africa A1 Team Germany experiences a thrilling debut: it is the first time for the 520-hp Formula racers to compete against each other on a city circuit during their debut season. In both practice sessions at Durban, Timo Scheider, the driver on duty, completed a total of 32 laps on a completely new circuit leading through the inner city to finish the day in fifth place.
The 3.2-kilometre track, situated on South Africa's East Coast directly on the Indian Ocean, reminds Timo Scheider of the world's most beautiful street circuits: "The race track is absolutely super and reminds you of America's city circuits," says the 27-year-old German, praising the venue. "The challenge lies in properly judging the various types of asphalt you encounter during a lap and to cope with the bumps."
During the 23 laps of the first Free Practice session basic set-up work was on the agenda. "The asphalt's grip was still relatively low and adjusting the car to a city circuit is completely different than setting it up for a permanent race track," Scheider summed up the session. His best time of 1m31.155s equated to 14th place in the field of the 23 participating nations. In the second session that was marked by pouring rain nearly throughout, and interrupted several times, Scheider completed merely nine laps in the rain. Clocking a time of 1m32.797s, the protegé of Willi Weber, who manages A1 Team Germany, ultimately claimed fifth place. "We made a change and this resulted in a development step which has increased my confidence in the car," Scheider said in the the evening. "So I'm certainly satisfied because we ran the whole day on a single set of used rain tyres while other teams used new ones as well. I feel well prepared for the Qualifying."
New Zealand
Torrential rain has seriously dampened preparation for this weekend's seventh round of the A1 Grand Prix series in Durban, South Africa.
Spectacular crashes and red flags were common occurrences on the opening day of practice on the World Cup of Motorsport's first ever street circuit.
New Zealand driver Matt Halliday managed 22 laps and the 11th fastest time in the first practice session in the wet, but completed only six laps in the second practice session as even heavier rain created severe vision problems.
"It was incredibly difficult to see and that's a recipe for disaster at the best of times, let alone on a narrow street circuit with more walls than usual," Halliday said.
The track was frequently closed in the second session to clear crashed cars and debris. Brazil started the carnage with a heavy crash into the tyres and India then aquaplaned on the straight and into a wall.
A1 Team.NZL chief executive Bob McMurray says it was at that stage the Kiwi team decided discretion was the better part of valour.
"There was nothing more to be learned out there," McMurray said. "All we were going to do was increase our chances of damaging the car…which a host of teams found out the hard way while we were safely in the garage."
McMurray says the conditions made it impossible to evaluate the new engine, but Halliday, a little under the weather due to a bout of food poisoning, was comfortable with the set-up of the car.
"The team has cruised back into top gear after our break over the holiday season," McMurray said. "We now wait to see what the weather will do because the forecast isn't too promising."
Czech Republic
Tomas Enge has been fairly happy with the first day of running in Durban and is cautiously optimistic for the rest of the weekend although changing conditions did not reveal the true picture.
The weather prepared few showers for Friday that affected events on the street track. Only lap times set at the same time can be compared because the conditions were changing and the timing of the runs played major part in the results. The Czech team had trouble free day that was used mainly for learning the track and tuning of the car. The Czech driver did 15 laps in the first session where he set 12th time and added another eight laps in the second one where he was third.
Tomas Enge: "The conditions were changing all the time, so it is quite impossible to compare lap times. However, I feel pretty confident because we were among fastest every time we were on the track. I am happy with the car so far, we changed the setup a bit in order to improve traction. The track is quite bumpy - there are some bigger bumps but small ones are everywhere. When you drive at full speed it reminds me a bit of rallying - you feel the bumps and the barriers are as close as are trees in forest. The first day of running confirmed my feeling that the track is similar to St. Pete. There are quick and slow places with some opportunities for overtaking which should be easier than in Monaco. The main spot is definitely at turn one. All in all I am not worried about weather maybe the wet track might even be better for us."
Antonin Charouz, seat holder: "The track doesn't seem that bad although the race will be quite difficult because there is no room for error. Tomas has been quick in the wet conditions and we were among the fastest when he was on the track. If the weather stays like this it will be good for us. If it is dry everybody will start from zero and that will play into hands of those teams who prepare cars for more countries."
Australia
Australia Day came a day late for A1 Team Australia, with Will Davison setting the fastest time in the second practice session for the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, South Africa in very wet conditions in the seaside port of Durban this afternoon.
After the first session saw drivers get their first taste of the testing layout in the rain, the conditions for the second session worsened, with heavy rain falling, causing a few nervous moments for many drivers. Davison's time of 1:30.520 was six-tenths of a second faster than Portugal's Alvaro Parente and the young Melbournite was content with the day's work:
"Considering the conditions, the car was great," said a pleased Davison. "We proved how good it was by setting the time we did. It all bodes well for qualifying tomorrow, let's hope we can continue in the same manner and get ourselves to the front of the grid, as that will be critical on this circuit for Sunday."
Christian Jones started a great day off for the Foster's sponsored A1 Team Australia car by setting sixth fastest time in the opening practice session, surviving a close shave on the way. Jones too felt very happy with the car and his performance:
"I'm very pleased with the performance of course," said Jones after his session one effort. "I think the track is a great layout and will provide for some entertaining and action packed racing."
Both Davison and Jones had to work closely with one another and the team's engineers to get the setup right on the car, something that Team Principal, Alan Jones said was crucial to the success of the team today.
"Both Christian and Will displayed a great deal of maturity in getting the setup right on the car," said Jones. "The great display of mateship to get the car going as well as it did was one of the more pleasing aspects of the day and showed a true Aussie spirit. It's great to kick off our Australia Day weekend celebrations by being fastest in the second session and let's hope it continues throughout the weekend!"
The forecast for the remainder of the weekend predicts the conditions clearing, but there is still a possibility the rain may hang around. Today's conditions have left the fancied A1 Grand Prix runners scratching their heads. It's also left team boss Jones with a difficult decision to make ahead of tomorrow's qualifying sessions, one that he felt he had to sleep on before making a final decision.
In any case, it has been one of A1 Team Australia's finest performances since the beginning of the inaugural A1 Grand Prix season and whilst much of the Australia relaxes with plenty of Foster's product throughout the weekend, it is the perfect way for the Australia Day weekend to begin for our team in The World Cup of Motorsport!
To check out our Friday picture gallery, click here