30/08/2006
NEWS STORY
One month ahead of the start of the new A1 Grand Prix season, A1 Team France began a two-day pre-race test at Silverstone. The team fielded its two drivers: Nicolas Lapierre and Alexandre Prémat who drove in the morning and afternoon respectively.
Between them, Lapierre and Prémat completed 68 laps. Lapierre drove in the morning and clocked a best lap of 1.10.628 and in the afternoon Premat managed a best lap of 1.11.590.
Jean-Paul Driot team principal, A1 Team France commented, "This test session is vital for our preparations and we have a lot of work to get through. After several months not racing we had a positive day and recorded the second fastest time. It's been a good way to lay the foundations for the rest of the season. We have a new
engineer in Thierry Bouvet and he is settling in well and working positively with our two drivers. We expect a serious battle this season but are determined to defend our title."
Nicolas Lapierre: "It felt real good to meet the new faces and the old faces in the team and to be back behind the wheel for a World Championship winning team. I lost a bit of time this morning as we encountered an unexpected problem with the brakes, but setting the second best time of the day is a good start."
Alexandre Premat: "I had a really good day. It felt strange not to have seen this winning car for a few months. The competition with the other teams will be very challenging. We've made a good start and as our confidence builds again we will be very quick."