29/01/2006
NEWS STORY
Ireland
A1 Team Ireland scored points with a 4th placed finish in the Sprint Race at the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Durban South African today, although the team's hopes of a podium finish in the Feature Race ended with a rear suspension failure. Ralph Fiman achieved a strong 4th place in the Sprint Race setting the fastest lap 1m19.164 which underlined the speed of the A1 Team Ireland car following its dominance of practice and warm up. The Irish team held fourth at the start of the race, moving briefly into second place when France and Switzerland pitted during the first Safety Car period. Firman then pitted only for the car to develop a severe handling problem caused by a broken anti-roll bar.
Ralph Firman: "The car felt fantastic in the sprint race, easily the quickest car on the track and the best it has been all year. Having finished fourth in the Sprint Race we had a real chance of a podium in the Feature event but the suspension problem ended that hope. I cannot believe our luck, but the results will come – we just have to keep pushing hard."
Andy Miller, Technical Director: "We had the pace again this weekend and showed that on several occasions. What we didn't have was any luck in final qualifying with those red flags and getting badly blocked, and the suspension problem in the Feature Race ended our chances today. We will be looking at what caused that problem in more detail."
Mark Gallagher, Team Principal: "Fastest in practice, warm-up and the sprint race shows once again that at A1 Team Ireland we are definitely among the pace setters but that we don't yet have the deserved result. This weekend we did not get the results when it mattered most, qualifying and the Feature Race, but we go away confident that we are now fastest enough to win an A1 Grand Prix of Nations event this season. That was and remains the goal."
Austria
A1 Team Austria picked up three points in today's A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Durban, South Africa, when Mathias Lauda finished eighth in the feature race, the team's second best result of the season.
Starting from 21st on the grid after a disappointing qualifying session yesterday, Mathias Lauda worked his way up to 16th on the first lap after the rolling start of the 20-lap sprint race. After driving a careful race and avoiding any trouble, Mathias was able to bring the Team Austria car home in 15th, securing an eighth row grid position for the feature race.
Mathias began the 40-lap feature race from 15th, and made his mandatory pitstop under the safety car on lap 2. After a long race full of incidents, Mathias stayed safe but pushed hard, finishing the race in eighth position, Team Austria's second best result of the season. The team picked up three points in the championship.
Mathias Lauda: "It's been a hard weekend. Qualifying was my fault because I went off, and so we started at the back of the grid in the first race. We finished the race and got a better grid position for the second race. That was tough. Most people went out, and I did touch other cars a few times and then I lost five positions trying to overtake the Lebanon. We did a good early pitstop though and we finished the race which I am happy about. We got some points, but I think we could have been higher."
New Zealand
The New Zealand A1 Grand Prix team is celebrating a successful weekend at the 7th Round of the World Cup of Motorsport in South Africa.
Matt Halliday drove superbly on the tight Durban beachfront street circuit to steer Black Beauty to 6th place in the Sprint Race and 4th place in the Feature Race. Halliday's haul of 12 points was the third best of the weekend and has allowed New Zealand to gain ground on 3rd placed Brazil and 4th placed Great Britain.
Switzerland dipped out to the Netherlands in the final lap of a thrilling Feature Race, but had two podium finishes to tally a weekend-high 17 points. France won the Sprint Race and finished 7th in the Feature Race to score 14 points and maintain a substantial championship lead.
France tops the championship table with 120 points, followed by Switzerland (92), Brazil (63), Great Britain (58) and New Zealand (54).
A1 Team.NZL chief executive Bob McMurray is delighted with the team's showing and praised Halliday's driving effort.
"This was a tough course with disaster lurking at every turn," McMurray said. "Less than half the field finished the Feature Race and with such an attrition rate Matt's effort was simply brilliant.
"You walk a fine line between staying out of trouble and being aggressive enough to haul in cars in front. On this occasion Matt judged his two drives to perfection and we couldn't be happier. It was a great way to start the New Year."
McMurray says the team's engineers and pit crew were in great form, too, particularly given the changeable weather.
"They had to finetune a new engine and set up the car for a demanding circuit that was subjected to weather extremes, both wet and dry. They were on top of their game all weekend."
With four events in the 11-round Series still to come, McMurray says challenging for third place overall is now a distinct possibility.
"Our goal is to come out and win every race," he said. "While we haven't achieved the podium results we would've liked, we've been ultra-consistent. If we keep recording results like this weekend we should be challenging for a top three finish overall and that would be an amazing effort in this sort of company."
In the earlier Sprint Race Halliday picked up a place from his starting grid position of 7th. His sixth-placed finish was only bettered by winners France, Great Britain, Switzerland, Ireland and the Czech Republic.
Racing was delayed while organisers moved crowds back from a restricted area for safety reasons.
McMurray says the crowd of more than 100,000 was "monumental" and Durban had embraced A1 incredibly well.
"It was a fantastic weekend and Durban has done a brilliant job. There's no doubt it will be a ‘must-attend' event on the A1 calendar for years to come."
Brazil
A1 Team Brasil picked up three points in today's A1 Grand Prix of Nations when Nelson Piquet Jr finished ninth in the feature race, and also recorded the fastest lap of the day.
Nelson began the 20-lap sprint race from the fourth row of the grid after qualifying eighth yesterday. He drove a careful race on a circuit on which it is virtually impossible to overtake, although he did put pressure on the seventh-placed New Zealand entry throughout. However, with just three laps to go, Nelson clipped the wall on the exit of the hairpin with his right rear wheel and spun slightly. He was unable to restart the car, and it was a frustrating end to Team Brasil's race. The team was classified 19th, and therefore started from the 10th row for the feature race.
It was always going to be difficult for Brasil in the 40-lap feature race, starting from 19th on the grid on the narrow street circuit. However, Nelson was able to demonstrate his driving talent and speed when the team opted to leave its compulsory pitstop until four laps before the end, allowing Nelson to lead the race with a blistering pace from lap 11 to lap 36. The team suffered a slightly disappointing pitstop but emerged in ninth position, collecting two points. Nelson also set the fastest lap of the day, picking up a further bonus point for his nation.
In the championship, Team France retain their lead at the top of the table with 120 points. Team Switzerland stay second with 92 points, although have managed to close the gap to France. Team Brasil remain in third place, now on 63 points. The A1 Grand Prix series will recommence in a fortnight's time with the eighth round of the championship taking place at the Sentul circuit in Indonesia.
Nelson Piquet Jr: "We were a bit careful in the first race, because it's so easy to make a mistake here and we wanted to make sure we had a good grid position for the second race. Unfortunately right near the end I tapped the wall and stalled, which meant I was at the back for the second race. It was a long race and starting so far back to get ninth is okay, but we could have done even better. We thought it would rain so we held on to do our pitstop but in the end it didn't rain. But we were very fast which we can take away as a positive. We were half a second quicker than Switzerland per lap and our race pace was faster than France in qualifying."
Emerson Fittipaldi: "I am actually very happy with the race because Nelson's performance was incredible, he was so fast and the car set-up was very good. We took a big risk with our pitstop strategy as we thought it was going to rain, and if we waited until then to change tyres we had a real chance of winning as most of the other teams pitted on the first lap. Unfortunately that didn't happen but we still did a very strong performance and we set a very good lap record. The crowds here in South Africa were unbelievable, there was not a single seat vacant in the grandstands and the atmosphere was amazing."
Germany
Just before the end of the main race in the seventh round of the A1 Grand Prix Series at Durban, South Africa, A1 Team Germany was deprived of what could have been the team's best result so far this season: Timo Scheider, the driver on duty, had been successfully defending third place over 24 laps when a broken front suspension caused him to drop back to eleventh place five laps before race end.
As early as in the sprint race Timo Scheider had shown a convincing performance on the new 3.52-kilometre street circuit on the coast of the Indian Ocean. At the start, the 27-year-old German made up two positions having started from 12th position on the grid. In the final eight of the race's 20 laps he moved forwards by three more places to cross the finish line in seventh place and score four points.
In the field of 23 competing nations, this gave him a good starting base for the feature race, which is twice as long as the sprint. Again, the native of Lahnstein, Germany, managed a perfect start and improved to sixth place. Scheider timed his mandatory pit stop tactically clever, exactly during a safety car phase. After a flawless tyre change performed by his crew, Scheider was the third driver to return to the track. From the twelfth lap, he was running in third place, despite the fact that A1 Team Germany had a rival in front – Brazil – who still had to pit and ultimately finished in ninth place. However, on A1 Team Germany's best race weekend so far, the front left suspension of the 520-hp racer broke five laps before the end. Scheider was classified in eleventh position.
Timo Scheider: "It's simply incredible! We just can't shake off our bad luck. The whole team pulled together to keep improving the car's set-up during the practice sessions and we made up five positions in the sprint race. The feature race, as well, started in a promising way. The Supernova crew performed an excellent pit stop – many thanks to them from me. In the race the car was better than ever until the suspension suddenly broke at the exit of the chicane. Perhaps it suffered some kind of impact before when Basil Shaaban and my car slightly touched each other during the restart after the safety car phase."
Willi Weber: "Even if the result is disappointing: This weekend has given us more positive than negative experiences. Timo drove two very good races, scored four points after all, and the whole crew worked together flawlessly. The team barely missed clinching its first podium position, which is definitely a pity."
Britain
The Durban Grand Prix provided the entertainment that the South African crowd deserved. Over 100,000 people watched from grandstands, trackside apartments and any vantage point they could possibly find. The support from the South African organizers and teams made sure that the A1 teams felt very welcome and the facilities were excellent providing an outstanding weekend's racing which unfortunately didn't favour A1 Team Great Britain with the results that they would have liked.
Sprint race
The action in the race mainly happened in the last and first laps. Robbie Kerr battled with Jos Verstappen in the Netherlands car and lost a place which he pulled back shortly afterwards. Later that lap he ran wide at turn nine. A speedy restart put him in fourth. From there he drove a sensible race under difficult circumstances. A1 Team China had a spin and the Czech car caught debris resulting in a puncture and retirement. In a last lap bid for a win, Verstappen then made an attempt for victory in the Netherlands car, touching A1 Team France in the process, spinning out of the race. Robbie was very skilled in avoiding the spinning orange car and not only took second place but was challenging France for the lead by the time they reached the chequered flag.
Feature race
The race is certainly one to forget for the team. The start of the race wasn't ideal with Switzerland getting a storming start and passing everyone. From there A1Team.GBR was following France as the pit stops started. Robbie got the call from the team and the dip in Britain's rollercoaster ride started. An error in the release of Robbie from the pits resulted in the car catching an air gun and line which after a lap was still lodged under the car and a second stop was needed to release it. The under-tray of the car had sustained damage and affected the stability of the car so when Robbie braked he skidded, stalled, ending his race.
Robbie Kerr: "Another rollercoaster weekend for the team for sure! It's disappointing the way it ended but at least we got another podium and are closer to Brazil and taking third in the series. We need to carry on gaining points on the competition and take that place in Indonesia. We were definitely on the pace with France, if not faster, so now we need to go for it!"
John Surtees: "It's a bit disappointing obviously when we held out hopes for a successful Feature Race – with every reason. Basically Robbie's race was spoiled by a pit stop error but that shouldn't take away from the fact that he drove a fantastic weekend. While most others were making mistakes in the unforgiving environment with many concrete walls he was nowhere near. He drove with his head and was a superb competitor. It's encouraging that despite what feels like a bad result we've got another podium and gained points on Brazil."
Canada
A1 Team Canada salvaged a point with tenth place from this afternoon's Feature race as President Thabo Mbeki joined 22,000 fellow South African's to witness a lively afternoon of A1 Grand Prix action on the streets of Durban in Round 7 of the ‘World Cup of Motorsport'. Canadian racer Sean McIntosh missed out on back-to-back top-ten finishes for A1 Team Canada as a puncture in the earlier Sprint race left the Feature as the sole opportunity for points. A1 Team Canada remains tenth in the A1GP Nations Standings with 32 points.
Sprint Race
Having qualified ninth on the grid for the 20-lap Sprint race Sean held station for the majority of what was a fairly processional opener on the 3.2km temporary street circuit. Wrestling an ill-handling car since the second lap, the cause of which was later determined to be a slow puncture, McIntosh fought valiantly to keep ahead of Germany directly behind in tenth. Despite briefly dropping out of the top- ten in the latter stages Sean successfully climbed back to sit tenth overall with one lap remaining until the puncture blew his front right tire, demoting him to 12th at the checkered flag and out of the points.
Feature Race
A1 Team Canada's decision to take their mandatory pit stop on just the second tour of the 40-lap Feature race looked set to pay dividends for Sean McIntosh as he ran third on track behind Switzerland and Germany of the team's already pitted. The 20-year-old's hopes of a second career A1GP podium finish were dashed early on lap nine however as contact with Portugal at Turn1resulted in a second trip to the pits, this time for a new nose cone. Back on track Sean set to work climbing up the order, looking to recover something from what had so far been a luckless weekend. Pushing hard, racing wheel to wheel with his A1 rivals, Sean guided A1 Team Canada's entry as high as eighth before a broken steering column relegated him to a tenth place classified finish and a solitary point for his efforts.
Sean McIntosh: "An unfortunate series of events really cost us here today because all things considered I think we had a good package. The car had pace and the team worked really well. We had an awesome strategy for the Feature race and it could have paid off if the Portuguese car hadn't surprised me at the first turn and taken out my front wing. At least we came away with a point! I was sidelined out at Turn4 for the last couple of laps in the Feature but we had done enough to claim tenth. Hopefully we can piece everything together next time out in Indonesia and improve our standing."
Czech Republic
The Czech did not enjoy a good Sunday in Durban after Tomáš Enge was fighting for the top places in the sprint race but late puncture caused by debris on the car cost him podium finish. The feature race brought big attrition unfortunately the Czech car was disqualified for a restart outside of a pitlane.
Packed grandstands in Durban saw a thrilling spectacle on Sunday in both races. Unfortunately, the Czech team had little reason to celebrate although the speed was definitely there. The sprint race started well for the Czech team after Enge immediately moved to the fourth place after the first corner and it did not take long to take the third spot. The Czech car was one of the quickest, which confirmed the second fastest lap of the race, and Enge was sitting right behind Verstappen. Three laps before the end of the sprint race Chinese driver Tengyi Jiang crashed and his car was stuck nearly over all road. The car was soon hit by Basil Shaaban and the track was full of debris. Unfortunately, Enge hit one of them and his left rear tyre was punctured, which resulted in loosing two places before the finish line.
Things got even worse after the start of the feature race after Enge stalled on the grid. Marshals pushed his car back to the pits where the team was able to restart it. However, the stewards disqualified the Czech car soon due to the fact that the car was restarted outside of the allowed area.
Tomas Enge: "We missed a good opportunity today, so there is no surprise that we are very disappointed. The sprint went okay utill the last lap. I was pushing Verstappen all the way and hoped for a mistake. He made one but unfortunately I already had a puncture after I had run over some debris from the Chinese car. To be honest, I do not understand why there wasn't a safety car because Chinese car was in a very dangerous position and was even hit by one car. The feature race basically finished when the lights went off. My revs were a bit low and the engine stalled."
Antonin Charouz, seat holder: "We should have been on the podium in both races but the luck was not on our side today. Our car was quick but a puncture cost us the third place at least. I think that there should have been safety car after the Chinese driver crashed because there were carbon pieces everywhere. Things got even worse after the start of the feature race where Tomas stalled. Motorsport can sometimes be difficult but the pace is there."
South Africa
France's Alexandre Premat scored his fifth A1 Grand Prix of Nations success when he won the 20-lap sprint race at the brand new street circuit on Durban's ocean front this afternoon after 64 km of high-speed racing through Durban's streets in front of a sell-out crowd of excited race fans.
It was France's 10th success from 14 races since this unique motor racing series, the brain child of Dubai's Sheikh Maktoum, started in Great Britain in September.
Premat started from pole position in the rolling start race and led throughout, finishing just two tenths of a second ahead of Britain's Robbie Kerr and 5,8 seconds ahead of Switzerland's Neel Jani. Fourth was Ireland's Ralph Firman Jr with the rest of the top 10 consisting of the Czech Republic's Tomas Enge, New Zealand's Matt Halliday., Germany's Timo Scheider, Portugal's Alvaro Parente, Australia's Will Davison and Mexico's David Martinez.
South Africa's Stephen Simpson, competing for his country in his first street race in Vulindlela, finished 20th, seven laps behind, after having to visit the pits to fix an electrical fault that affected his gear changing. He had started from 16th place on the grid and was lying 13th and pressured the Australian car when he experienced the problem. He rejoined the race after his pit crew fixed the problem and managed to complete 13 laps of the 20 laps.
A courageous and error-free drive by Simpson saw him finish fifth and in the points in the 40-lap feature race after starting from the 10th row of the grid alongside Brazil's Nelson Jr. It was a race of attrition with many drivers falling victim to the tight confines and daunting concrete barriers of the first street circuit in South Africa to ever host a major international formula race.
Simpson maintained his concentration and kept out of trouble to steadily move up the field as others fell out or dropped back. Team South Africa's pit crew pulled off yet another slick mandatory pit stop to replace all four tyres, helping Simpson to leapfrog several of his rivals.
He was greeted with a standing ovation by the packed grandstand opposite the pits at the end of the race and was loudly cheered when he climbed through the catch fencing to throw his gloves into the stand.
The race was won in dramatic fashion by the Netherlands' Jos Verstappen, the 33-year-old veteran and former Formula One driver who had started from 16th on the grid after a last lap attempt to pass sprint race winner France lost him a sure second place.
It was a popular win for the Dutchman who chased down early leader Switzerland (Neel Jani) and took the lead on the last lap to win by 1,7s. Third was Portugal, ahead of New Zealand, South Africa, Italy (Massimo Busnelli), sprint race winner France (hampered by a drive-through penalty for a pit stop infringement), Austria (Mathias Lauda), Brazil and Canada (Sean McIntosh).
"We really wanted to give the incredibly supportive fans a good result after the disappointment of the sprint race," said a tired by delighted Simpson after the race. "I knew if I kept out of trouble and didn't make any mistakes I could finish in the points. It was hard work and very tiring, but I am relieved and very proud to have finished in the top five.
"The technical team in the pits has been great and a lot of hard work went into this achievement. This is a great afternoon to be a South African."
Team South Africa CEO Ms Dana Cooper, paying tribute to the team who put South Africa's first A1GP race together in record time, after work on the circuit commenced at the end of November, said the support of the sell-out crowd who packed every possible vantage point and every grandstand was the best reward for all the hard work.
"This event has proved to be a great success and the benefits for Durban, KwaZulu Natal and South Africa will still be felt for some time to come."
Malaysia
A1 Team Malaysia endured a tough day's racing in Durban and were unable to capitalise on the competitive running that the team had enjoyed in practice and qualifying, with retirements from both races for driver Alex Yoong at the A1 Grand Prix of Nations in South Africa today.
The first street race of the A1 Grand Prix calendar certainly proved a crowd-pleaser with an estimated 50,000 spectators experiencing the action-packed racing of this new motor racing Series which pits nation against nation in 11 countries around the globe.
A1 Team Malaysia lined up tenth for the Sprint race after yesterday's ‘four flying laps' style of qualifying session. The start was delayed for race officials to improve the catch fencing safety, but when it finally got underway, Team Malaysia's race was short-lived.
On the opening lap Yoong was forced to brake hard behind Team Brasil, making contact with the rear of his car. The accident resulted in the Malaysian car losing its front wing and damaging the nose cone, which left Yoong with no option but to retire immediately from the race.
In the feature race Yoong was at the back of the grid for the start due to his earlier race retirement. After an early pit stop for the mandatory tyre change, Yoong rejoined the race and quickly made his way towards the front of the field, running comfortably within the top ten and at half distance lying seventh. On lap 26 of the 40 lap race, with Yoong racing hard and under pressure from the New Zealand car behind, he braked late at the end of the back straight, sending him into a spin and out of the race.
Yoong said after the two races, "A disappointing weekend for us, particularly with our retirements today. In the Sprint race it was just one of those racing incidents. In the Feature race I reckon I could have finished in fourth place. The guys in my crew have worked so hard this weekend I would have liked to have rewarded them with a good finish, but it just wasn't my day."
Jack Cunningham, A1 Team Malaysia Team Principal added, "This wasn't an easy weekend for us, but that's the nature of motor racing and we just have to put this behind us now. This street race has certainly captured the attention of South Africa and I think A1 Grand Prix put on a great show for the fans. It was exciting racing with plenty of action, but it was a shame we weren't able to go the distance in either race. We have lost a lot of ground in championship points and we will be mindful of that as we arrive in Indonesia in just over a weeks time."
France
A1 Team France took another victory in the sprint race at Durban (South Africa), its tenth of the season with Alexandre Prémat starting from pole. After winning the spring race, Prémat fought against the odds and ended up seventh in the feature race scoring a grand total of 14 points.
"We were strong in warm up which gave us plenty of confidence for the rest of the day," said Prémat. "The sprint race was trouble-free until the last lap when Jos Verstappen hit my rear-left wheel. Luckily the damage was not too serious and the team could fix it in time for the feature race."
"In the feature race I didn't have such a good start, and Neel Jani took advantage of this coming side by side with me," Prémat added. "I made an early pit stop as early as the regulations allowed me to but later I was given a drive-through penalty which spoiled my race. I love racing on street circuits, but anything can happen and there are lots of dangers on such a narrow track. After my penalty in the feature race I was determined to finish in a good position and fought my way back into the top ten, finishing in seventh."
Jean-Paul Driot, team Principal of A1 Team France, added: "I am disappointed with the problems we encountered in the pit lane during the feature race. Scoring 14 points and keeping the lead of the championship is the most important thing."
After the seventh round of the new A1 Grand Prix Series, Team A1 France has extended its lead in the championship and has 120 points. The team has notched up ten victories. The next round will be staged at Sentul (Indonesia), where Nicolas Lapierre is the nominated driver.
India
It was a day of what might have been for A1 Team India. After qualifying in 21st position, the game-plan for A1 Team India was to maintain a consistent pace, stay out of trouble and finish the sprint race. In doing this, the team were confident that the improved position on the grid for the feature race would enable them to attack for a points finish in the feature race.
The sprint race went according to plan, and A1 Team India's driver Armaan Ebrahim paced himself and picked up positions consistently through the 20 lap race. As expected, there were plenty of thrills and spills during the race, but Armaan kept his nose clean and kept improving his lap-times as the race progressed. As this was his first ever street race, getting as many laps as possible under his belt under racing conditions was of utmost importance. He finished the race in an excellent 14th place, well positioned for a strong finish in the feature race which was to start one hour after the finish of the sprint race.
The feature race had a standing start, and A1 Team India got a clean getaway into the first corner. On lap 3, A1 Team India was up to 10th place when the safety car came out. A1 Team India decided to bring the car into the pits for the compulsory tyre stop. The team performed an excellent 18 second pit-stop, one of the quickest all season long, allowing the A1 Team India car back onto the track in 17th place. Armaan was now on a charge and worked his way up to 14th place by lap 10, behind the car of A1 Team Austria and ahead of the car of A1 Team Indonesia.
At this point while entering the braking zone at turn 9, at the end of the long back straight, the car from A1 Team Indonesia lost control under braking and clouted the A1 Team India car from behind. A1 Team India's car spun around and came to a halt with some rear end damage. This put paid to A1 Team India's weekend of racing on the streets of Durban, South Africa. It was an extremely unfortunate end to what could have been a top ten finish for A1 Team India.
Akbar Ebrahim (A1 Team India Manager): Not much to say except that it was a racing incident and Indonesia should have been less over ambitious. It was a good weekend after a huge crash and we are pleased that the diver and the team came back strongly with some very good teamwork and a spirited drive. It was also very good to have the presence of A1 Team India's Chairman Mr. Atul Gupta and Mr. Anil Kapoor present who were very supportive and encouraging.
Armaan Ebrahim (A1 Team India Driver): It was a very difficult weekend to start with. The crash was something that set us back quite a bit. However it was good to fight back hard and I was quite pleased with my drive in both the races. I was very well supported by the team who stood by me and worked really hard on the car. My engineer gave me a very good car and I also have to thank Jos Verstappen who helped out with sharing some of his data with me. The Indian supporters were fantastic and I am sad that I could not deliver to them what should have been a definite 6th place at the finish of the feature race.
Switzerland
A1 Team Switzerland claimed two podiums in South Africa, finishing the sprint race in third and the feature race in second. Jani took the lead of the feature race right at the start and looked set to win until a brake problem in the final laps meant he had to ease off and let Verstappen through.
"The race is always a different story," Jani said. "My starting position was not too bad for the sprint race and we were consistent and finished on the podium at a difficult track. We needed to score as many points as possible here to catch up with France. In the feature race it was great to take the lead from France right at the start but right at the end I had some brake problems and had to let Verstappen go past while making sure I made it to the finish and scored as many points as possible."
Max Welti, team principal, A1 Team Switzerland commented: "Neel had a good day and didn't make any mistakes during the sprint race. He drove consistently and scored a well earned podium. We were unlucky in the feature race after making an excellent start it all looked good for the win but then we had a brake problem. But at least we finished second, claimed our ninth podium of the season and scored a total of 17 points which helped us close the gap to France."
After the seventh round of the new A1 Grand Prix Series, Team A1 Switzerland is currently ranking in second position in the championship with 92 points.The next round will be staged at Sentul (Indonesia), where Neel Jani is the nominated driver.
Netherlands
A day of extremes, maybe that is the best description of the A1 Grand Prix in the streets of Durban for A1 Team Netherlands. Dissapointment was quickly followed by joy today. After being close to the podium a number of times before, this time it all fell together for A1 Team Netherlands. In the Feature race Jos Verstappen showed one his famous overtaking races and managed to secure the first win for the team, starting from sixteenth.
During the warm up this morning Verstappen went into the tyres in the closing minutes and caused some major repair work for the team.The steering column and nosecone were the most important things needing replacement. With an optical damaged, but perfectly prepared car A1 Team Netherlands started the Sprint race, run over 20 laps. In the Sprint race, the first race of the day, it almost was victory for the team. Two corners before the finish and on the last lap Verstappen, lying in second, tried to overtake France. This went wrong and Verstappen hit France. France just managed to secure the win, for Verstappen only disappointment and sixteenth remained.
"France missed some pace the last laps. There was an opportunity and I just had to take that chance. Now I'm not happy I did this", said a disappointed Jos.
That dissapointment was replaced by enormous joy little more then one hour later. The team repaired the damage, with the help of Team India, that lent A1 Team Netherlands a nosecone. After a superb start Verstappen immediately passed a few cars and after the first lap was already into tenth. After a fast pitstop A1 Team Netherlands moved up the field further and further and after Germany went into the wall and Switzerland lost their pace because of braking problems, victory was secure for A1 Team Netherlands.
Of course Jos Verstappen was extremely happy with his first race victory since 1992; "Starting from sixteenth is of course never easy, especially on this circuit. With a good start I passed five or six cars directly. With safetycars and the boost button it is definitely possible to pass here. The last lap Switzerland had problems and at the same spot where it went wrong in the Sprint race, it worked this time. I'm extremely happy with this. The Sprint race was disappointing. Getting second there would also have been good. That went wrong, but this victory makes up for all that".
Seat Holder Jan Lammers, who has been driving at the Daytona 24 Hours this weekend, of course is extremely happy and proud. "Absolutely superb this win. For us this comes at a very good moment, for A1, Racing for Holland and Jos. It's too bad losing second place in the first race, but Jos showes he has got the guts to attack France, in the second race the difference between the Netherlands and France clearly showed. Fortunately that dominance is broken again. I'm very, very proud of the team".
Australia
A1 Team Australia looked to be having one of its most competitive outings on the streets of Durban, only to be snuffed out in the Feature Race by an unnecessary incident involving team driver Will Davison and Team USA driver, Phil Giebler on the third lap.
Davison was showing no ill-effects from yesterday's practice crash by storming his way through to the top 10 in the Sprint Race. Starting 17th on the grid, Davison was 11th at the completion of an incident-packed opening lap and despite withstanding pressure from home town hero, Stephen Simpson, was able to come home in ninth placing after several incidents in the final laps left a number of stricken cars on the racetrack.
The ninth placing netted A1 Team Australia two points towards their World Cup of Motorsport tally.
"The car felt quite good in the Sprint Race," said Davison. "Starting within the top 10, I felt as though we had a great shot at getting a good result in the Feature Race."
The Feature Race looked promising for Davison, with the Foster's supported Australian car due to start from the fifth row of the grid. Unfortunately, the race lasted just over two laps, when he gave USA driver Giebler racing room into the hairpin at turn one, only to have him spin on the dirty part of the racetrack and collect Davison, thus forcing the Australian entry out of the race when he was unable to re-start the car.
"That was really disappointing," said Davison. "I was trying to stay out of trouble and gave him room to get by me, so to be taken out like that seems so pointless. It was very frustrating as we had moved forward and I think we could have scored some good points."
The Durban event, conducted in front of a sellout crowd, despite its ups and downs, was quite encouraging for A1 Team Australia, Friday's fastest time in practice undoubtedly the highlight.
"This weekend has left us feeling quite encouraged," said Team Principal, Alan Jones. "Will was looking very good in both races and was setting the Feature Race up nicely, only to be taken out. It's very disappointing, particularly for the team who'd worked incredibly hard across the weekend, but as they say, that's motor racing."
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