25/11/2007
NEWS STORY
Brazil
A1 Team Brasil is today celebrating an incredible result after Sergio Jimenez drove to second place in this afternoon's feature race at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. It is the Brazilian squad's best result since Nelson Piquet Jr took second in the sprint race in Estoril 2005, some 45 races ago. The result at A1GP's 50th race elevates Team Brasil to ninth in the standings with 22 points.
The day started positively as Sergio improved two places on his seventh place starting spot to finish the 10-lap sprint race in fifth position, collecting six valuable points. The result came after a great start from Sergio, who moved past Teams New Zealand and GBR on the first lap. He pushed Team Canada hard for fourth on the final lap, but crossed the line in fifth.
However, it was in the feature race that Sergio and the team shined. Starting from sixth, Sergio made an incredible start to move up to third after the first corner behind only the dominant Team Switzerland and Team France. A huge battle with France's Loic Duval ensued with Sergio briefly taking second before Duval snatched it back. On lap eight the safety car was deployed and, after some slick pit work from the Brasil crew, Sergio emerged a whisker ahead of Team Switzerland to take the lead of the race.
Starting his second stint on new tyres, Sergio was able to pull out a decent gap over Neel Jani after the restart on lap ten. The 23-year-old from Sao Paulo started to face pressure on lap 18 but fought valiantly to retain his lead. He made his second compulsory pitstop on lap 26 but, with Jani pitting two laps previously and starting his final stint on brand new rubber, Sergio lost his lead in the stop and emerged in second place. He passed the chequered flag in searing heat in second to take the podium place and ten points.
Sergio Jimenez: "The main race was very tough but I'm really happy with the result. I made a very good start, jumped to third and didn't let Switzerland and France get too far ahead of me. In the first pitstop the boys did an amazing job and I was able to take the lead. We had a different strategy to Switzerland because we used our new tyres in the middle stint while they used theirs in the last one. Because of that I was able to put in some good laps after the first stop and Neel never caught me too closely. The second stop was also very good but obviously Neel had the new tyres after that. Anyway, we have worked so hard together as a team this weekend and it has paid off, so this result is for the boys and for Emerson, who has given me a great opportunity here in A1GP."
Emerson Fittipaldi, Team Principal: "Sergio did an amazing job because although we had a good car, it was not as fast as Switzerland or France, who have found a special set up here in Malaysia. The pit crew also did a fantastic job and everyone is working very hard. It's been a long time since we've had such a good result and in Sergio we have found a very good driver who can repeat the same kind of results we were having with Nelson Piquet Jr in season one. A1 Team Brasil is back!"
Canada
A1 Team Canada scored its first points of the 2007-08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport season on Sunday as Robert Wickens belied his rookie status to finish fourth in Round 3's Sprint race at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
Having just missed the podium on his A1GP race debut, the 18-year-old from Toronto experienced a more frustrating Feature event, Wickens retiring early from the proceedings after a frantic start. A1 Team Canada exits Malaysia sitting 12th in the A1GP Nations Standings, with eight points scored courtesy of Wickens' Sprint race efforts while A1 Team Switzerland leads on 61 after Champ Car racer Neel Jani dominated events at Sepang with back-to-back victories.
Starting fifth on the grid for the 10-lap Sprint race, Wickens wasted little time in placing the Canadian entry into the top-three. Jani led from pole while Robert launched up the order giving chase to France's Loic Duval in second. Germany's Michael Ammermüller was an ever present threat from behind but Wickens had the measure of his rival until an over-steer issue presented itself. The Canadian rookie put on a fine display of defensive driving but an overly-aggressive last lap move by the German resulted in contact, Ammermüller dropping Wickens to fourth at the checkered.
Naturally disappointed to miss out on the podium, Wickens and the Canadian crew had reason to be optimistic heading into the afternoon's 35-lap Feature race having scored their first points of the season and battled at the sharp end of the grid. Neel Jani collected the Sprint win for Switzerland ahead of France's Duval and Ammermüller for Germany.
The opening lap of the Feature provided early drama as Wickens was tipped round following contact at turn one having started from 12th on the 22-nation grid. While he recovered, the 2006 Formula BMW USA Champion found himself down in 18th with a long race ahead of him to crack the top-ten.
Undeterred and quickly sprinting up through the order, Robert was then helpless to avoid a collision with Adrian Zaugg seven laps later as the South African attempted to point his car in the right direction having spun out at turn eight. Some fast acting from the Canadian avoided a potentially huge impact but the resulting contact was enough to put both cars out on the spot. A1 Team Switzerland's Jani went on to triumph again ahead of Brazil's Sergio Jimenez and France's Loic Duval.
Commenting after a day of highs and lows Wickens reflected; "It was great to score a good result in the Sprint race although it should have been a third rather than a fourth. In the Feature I thought I left plenty of room at turn one but I was knocked into a spin. I got back up to speed and then the incident with Zaugg happened. I saw him on the grass as I came into the corner but then he drove straight out in front of me leaving me with no alternative other than to go off to try and avoid him. It was unbelievable and not how I wanted to end the day!"
"Robert drove magnificently all weekend," said Team Manager Simon Cayzer. "He deserved a podium in the Sprint. The first corner incident in the Feature was just one of those things but Zaugg's move was just plain dangerous. He didn't look and he could have caused a major accident!"
France
Today was a very good one for the A1 France Team which scored two second- place finishes in the Sepang race, putting it second overall in the championship chase.
The day began with the Sprint race in which Loïc Duval, who started from second place on the grid, held on to that position until the chequered flag despite being hit at the start.
In the Feature race Loïc started from fourth and he moved up two places before his first pitstop. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding with the Brazilian and British teams, which were badly placed on the pit lane when it was time to rejoin the track when the safety car neutralised the race, saw him come back out in fourth place. Loïc fought back and after a hard-charging drive, finished third. Soon after the race, the Brazilian team was penalised because of what had happened during the first round of refuelling stops, and A1 Team France inherited a well-deserved second place.
Olivier Panis, team manager: "Since the start of the weekend we knew that the car was well balanced, that Loïc felt very much at home and that the Sepang round could bring us luck. We seized our chance and we achieved our aim as we were on the podium twice, and we've moved up three places in the championship. Hats off to the whole team, which has done an excellent job in sometimes difficult conditions. Our next mission will be to take the lead in the championship; and that's what we'll be aiming for in the next race in China."
Loïc Duval, driver: "I'm very satisfied with my double podium finish today. I was able to alternate aggressiveness and caution in both races. In the sprint race, I respected my schedule and finished behind Switzerland, which was uncatchable. During the second race, I was a bit surprised to see Brazil and Great Britain beside me at the end of the pit lane. I drove my own race despite my car suffering from heavy understeer as it was on worn rubber for the second stint. I finished third thanks to the new tyres in the third stint. We moved up a place after the Stewards' decision, which was fully justified. Today, we're second in the overall classification behind Switzerland and I feel very confident for the rest of the season. I think that over the whole championship our consistency will help us overtake our rival."
Germany
After Willi Weber's A1 Team Germany had recorded its best result of the season so far in Malaysia, an unusually hard decision by the Stewards robbed the team of all the points it had scored after the race. Nominated driver Michael Ammermüller, who had qualified on the second row for the sprint and main race on his debut, initially claimed third position in the sprint. However, he dropped down to 16th position due to a 25 second penalty and was disqualified from the main race.
Michael Ammermüller started from fourth place at the wheel of the powerful 550 hp A1GP race car in Sepang, and was already putting the Canadian Robert Wickens under pressure at the end of the first lap. On the tenth and final lap Ammermüller overtook his adversary. Because of a collision between the two cars the Stewards, however, imposed the German team a time penalty after both races had finished which dropped the team down by thirteen positions.
Starting from third place in the main race the German team's car lost three positions because Michael Ammermüller was out of practice using a foot operated clutch pedal to make standing starts. On lap six he attacked Adam Carroll and took fifth position. He still held fifth position after his first compulsory pit stop. On lap 20 the newcomer attacked the fourth placed car of A1 Team Great Britain, unfortunately both cars spun. As a result, the man from Lower Bavaria initially received a drive-through penalty which dropped him back to 18th position. David Sears Motorsport completed the second compulsory pit stop for A1 Team Germany in text book fashion on the 28th of the 35 lap race. Ammermüller climbed to 13th position before the finish. However, the team was then hit by an additional penalty: the Stewards reassessed the incident and elected to disqualify the team from the main race.
Michael Ammermüller: "My first A1GP weekend was big fun, even though it didn't finish exactly as I'd hoped. The sprint race with the rolling-start began well even though I had to start from the dirty side of the track. Third place was a great result, which is why the penalty was so hard. I made a mistake from the standing start in the main race and dropped back. I haven't driven a car with a foot operated clutch pedal for two years; I'm only really familiar with hand clutches. Many of my rivals with recent Formula 3 experience definitely had an advantage today. I was sixth after the first lap before overtaking Adam Carroll. I wanted to overtake the British car after my pit stop in Turn 1, but I was too optimistic and we both spun. I received a drive-through penalty and was excluded later as a result. Nevertheless, our pace was good at the weekend, the team works very professionally, and we could have brought home a top result without the penalty."
Willi Weber: "First the positive aspects of the race: I was very pleased with Michael Ammermüller's first race for our team here in Malaysia. He sat in our car for the first time on a race weekend after having tested just once for us nearly 15 months ago. Michael did a good job and continued to improve his performance between the practice sessions, qualifying and the race. Michael Ammermüller has my complete and utter support. I'm delighted that he is a member of our team – and, furthermore, he will continue to be so. Unfortunately, the Stewards saw the race incident differently and penalised him unusually hard. I find it extremely negative that the sprint race was assessed differently in light of the main race long after the sprint itself had finished. I also don't understand why we were excluded from the main race, particularly as everybody involved could continue after the collisions, reaching the finish, plus we had already been penalised extremely hard with a drive-through penalty. This unusually hard penalty means that we will have to seriously consider how we see our future in this series."
Great Britain
Oliver Jarvis scored valuable points in difficult conditions for A1 Team GBR in round three of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at the Sepang International Circuit.
Oliver made a good start in the Sprint race holding position in third through Turn 1 before being caught out by France braking early for Turn 2. This caused Oliver to run into the back of him and sustain slight damage to the front wing while also dropping down the running order to sixth. Despite pushing really hard and being the fastest through the third sector, New Zealand managed to find a way through on lap four leaving A1 Team GBR seventh but scoring four valuable points.
Oliver made a great start in the Feature Race holding off France and Brazil for second until his throttle stuck and he lost out to them dropping back to fourth. He kept the pressure on Brazil until the Safety Car came out on lap nine following an incident between South Africa and Canada. He immediately pitted and some quick teamwork got him back out in third ahead of France with Brazil now leading from Switzerland. On the re-start GBR put pressure on Switzerland, temporarily getting ahead on the outside of the first corner but Switzerland immediately fought back to regain their place diving down the inside into Turn 3 pushing GBR wide and allowing France to also take advantage leaving Oliver back in fourth.
On lap 19 Germany caught onto the back of GBR and made an ambitious move at Turn 2 hitting GBR's left rear wheel and causing GBR to loose places. The team lost time in the second pit-stop due to the front right tyre sticking, and GBR was then given a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit-lane, leaving Oliver to concentrate on overtaking as many cars as possible in order to salvage points. He put in a great drive through the final stint making a fantastic manoeuvre on Mexico, and fighting until the chequered flag to overtake the USA on the main straight just before the finish to claim the last points' position.
Oliver Jarvis: "In the Sprint race, I made a reasonable get away coming down into the first corner and was comfortably in third. I moved to the middle of the track braking fairly early and Canada shot up the inside. This wasn't too much of a problem, the problem was that France was almost at a standstill and unfortunately we made contact coming into turn 2. There was a bit of damage and I struggled with the car, which felt very snappy.
"At the start of the Feature Race, going into the third corner, the throttle stuck so when I braked I locked the front wheels, and ultimately lost two places on the exit. The team did a great job in the first pit-stop and we got ahead of France coming back out on track in third. On the restart, I managed to get Switzerland round the outside, but he had a better run out on the second corner and drove down the inside of the third pushing me out wide to allow France back through leaving me in fourth. I put pressure on France for many laps then Germany made a ridiculous move hitting the left rear and causing me to drop a couple of places. Unfortunately we got a drive through penalty after the second pit stop as I couldn't get my car to slow down enough for some reason, which lost us valuable time. It's probably the hardest race I've ever had to only get a point. It's a disappointing result for the team and hopefully we will do better in ZhuHai."
Katie Clements, Team Principal: "Oliver drove fantastically all weekend and we had a good car but these things sometimes happen. We also had a problem with our two-way radio in the Feature Race; our engineer could speak to Olly, but Olly could not communicate back making it hard for the team to know if he was happy with the car and difficult track if he was coming in for pit-stops. The team really pulled together though and despite the problems it's great to come away with some valuable points. We're all now looking ahead to China where we hope to be back up on the podium."
Ireland
Adam Carroll took two vital point-scoring finishes for Belmayne A1 Team Ireland in round three of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at the Sepang International Circuit today.
Adam made a good start in the Sprint Race and stayed out of trouble through Turns 1 and 2, and placed his car perfectly down the inside into Turn 3 to pick up further places. By the end of lap one he was up to 8th, but he eventually lost out to Team Netherlands and finished 9th.
The Feature Race started well with Adam getting away cleanly at the start and passing the Netherlands and Germany by the end of lap one to move up to fifth. After an incident between South Africa and Canada brought out the safety car on lap nine, Adam immediately pitted but he lost time during the stop and emerged 7th. Problems on the new tyres caused the back end to step out on lap 15, spinning the car 360 degrees. Adam did a great job to keep it on the track but dropped to 10th. After struggling during the middle stint he came in on lap 24 for his second scheduled pit stop. With a quick and clean stop, and a great drive from Adam in the final stint, Ireland recovered to 7th overall taking four more vital championship points.
Adam Carroll: "I made a good start in the Sprint Race and kept out of trouble as a few cars ahead tripped over each other, and then I just pushed as hard as I could. It was a difficult race so it was good to get some points. The Feature Race was really tough, though. I lost the rear end of the car into Turn 5 after the first pit stop but managed to recover. I was pushing really hard but we struggled in the second stint. The car felt good in the third stint, though, and I was putting in consistently quick times. After such a hard weekend it's great to still come away with some points and we know where we need to improve for China."
Dan Walmsley, Race Engineer: "The Feature Race was a mixed race for us really. It started quite promising but we didn't have the best first pit stop and didn't get the best out of the tyres in the second stint. Adam also had a spin so we had to change our strategy. During the final stint we were competitive and fast, and Adam put in a great drive to recover back to seventh".
Mark Kershaw, Team Owner: "Considering some of the problems we had today, a double points finish is a good save. Scoring in the Sprint Race form 13th on the grid was as much as we could have hoped for while in the Feature the second set of tyres didn't work well for us so Adam did really well to recover. We now have plenty to build on and are looking forward to Zhuhai."
Lebanon
A1 Team Lebanon's third season of A1GP racing continued with two hot, action packed races exciting the crowds in Sepang, Malaysia. A 15th place in the Sprint race was the spoils for the morning. A retirement from the Feature race was a disappointment for the team, after some very strong running which saw driver, Chris Alajajian running as high as 9th before contact with Australia damaged the car and forced him into retirement.
The sprint race began in strong heat with A1 Team Lebanon lining up in 22nd place for the start. In the frenetic start, with the pack of cars powering down to the first corner, Alajajian showed his maturity and racing skills, dicing with the cars around him, positioning himself to advantage and taking two cars in the opening lap to lie 17th. As the race got underway he continued to race hard and with some attacking driving was lapping at a good pace and challenging for 16th place. He tailed the Czech Republic car for a number of laps, before finally overtaking him for position at two-thirds distance. Having passed his rival Alajajian pulled out a comfortable lead, which he held until the chequered flag. After the race the Netherlands were penalised for a jump start which promoted Lebanon to 15th in the final result.
The Feature race grid formed in the afternoon and the Lebanon car lined up ready for the start. The opening lap saw four cars scattering off track in the melee of the run through the first corner, with Lebanon running hard and making up positions, and lying in 13th place at the end of the first lap. Alajajian had the China car in his sights and with a good pace made a move to overtake. He passed his rival, but a clip from him just after he had passed put the Lebanese car into a spin and back down to 17th place.
With action up and down the field, the racing was fast and frenetic, until an incident between South Africa and Canada brought out the safety car, just as the first pit window opened and all the cars were allowed to pit. With the majority of the field opting to stop for new tyres, it was a busy pitlane, and by the time that the race restarted Lebanon were lying in 15th place. Alajajian continued to run at a strong pace, jostling with a number of cars during which Lebanon was tapped at the rear. He was able to overtake Australia for 14th and then benefited from Italy dropping out to lie in 13th place as the race reached half distance. Pitting from 9th for the second stop, Lebanon were back out on track for the final segment of the race. However, the earlier contact revealed rear suspension damage which forced the Lebanese car into retirement.
Chris Alajajian said after the Feature race, "In this morning's race our goal was to run consistently and cleanly and push hard without taking too many risks. We accomplished this, but with so few laps it's always difficult to make up too many places, but I would have liked to have made a bit more progress. In the Feature race we were running well and I was able to challenge for places, so it was a bit unlucky that we couldn't complete the distance after being hit from behind, but that's just one of those racing situations."
Luke Craft, Team Principal, A1 Team Lebanon, added, "Chris has driven well and we've definitely made progress. It was a shame that we had to retire from a racing incident as we were close to achieving a respectable result, just outside the top ten. We've seen a lot of potential this weekend and so if we can pull it all together we should start seeing an improvement in our results."
Malaysia
A1 Team Malaysia savoured their first A1GP World Cup of Motorsport point at their home race at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur today. The A1GP team, with driver Alex Yoong, had two action packed races today, overcoming racing incidents and off-track dramas to end the day with a 10th place finish in the Sprint race and 14th place in the Feature event.
The Sprint race start, with the traditional A1GP rolling grid at the green flag, began with a storming pack powering down to the first corner. Yoong, starting from 19th place, used all his driving experience and track knowledge to make up six places on the opening lap, a superb effort from the popular Malaysian. He fended off relentless challenges from the India car behind, with Narain Karthikayen hard on his heels – and even hitting the rear of Yoong's car in his determination to pass him. Despite this, Yoong held him off, and then began to pull away from his arch rival, to take 11th place at the chequered flag. A penalty for the Netherlands team for jumping the start of the Sprint race then promoted Malaysia to 10th, to bring the team its first points paying finish.
The start of the Feature race was full of drama, with five cars making contact and scattering them off track, allowing Yoong to make up four places by the end of the first lap. A tight battle with the New Zealand car saw the two drivers dicing hard, but it was the Malaysian car which lost out, with heavy contact between the two resulting in Yoong losing his front wing with damage to the front right suspension. This necessitated a pitstop to put a new nose cone and front wing assembly on the car. The crew worked quickly and Yoong was quickly back out on track, although at the back of the field. With a mountain to climb Yoong continued on. An incident between South Africa and Canada played into Malaysia's hands with the safety car deployed to recover the cars. This allowed the field to make their first pitstops and Yoong pitted for new tyres, lying in 16th place at the restart.
From here Yoong started to put the pressure on the cars ahead and over the ensuing laps he passed rival after rival until the second round of pitstops. Unfortunately one of the British mechanics of A1 Team Malaysia responsible for the tyres collapsed with heat exhaustion prior to this, and had not set the pressures for the second set of tyres. Yoong soon found that his tyre pressures were incorrect and he struggled with the handling of the car in the final part of the race, which compromised his race pace and left him falling back to 14th by the chequered flag.
Alex Yoong said of the races, "A well earned point in the Sprint race for us which was just done to a massive attack and a great first lap to get 10th. The Feature race – another great start, but we were struggling with grip for the first few laps, as we had in the Sprint, but then were up to speed. It was a shame that we had to pit for a new nose, but the safety car helped us get back into it and we were attacking hard. The tyre pressure problems in the final stint slowed us, and I think without those we could have had another top ten points finish. We're certainly making progress, and that's important.
"I would like to thank all the fans for coming out to support us. They were amazing and it's very humbling for the team to see this level of passion for us."
Jack Cunningham summed up the weekend saying, "First of all I would like to thank everyone in A1 Team Malaysia for the fantastic efforts that they put in to making our weekend so successful, giving our guests a warm welcome and allowing them the unique behind-the-scenes view of our operation.
"We also thank our sponsors for their support this weekend and I hope that we have demonstrated our passion and commitment to the nation and to delivering the best results that we can. Finally, I would like to mention our fans who turned out in force today to cheer us on. We're very proud to be racing here at Sepang and I think Malaysia and our rival nations put on a great day of entertainment, which I hoped they enjoyed."
Mexico
A1 Team México driver Michel Jourdain Jr. was close to collect points in the Feature race, finishing 11th. This happened during Round 3 of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport which was held at the 5.54-Km. (3.44-mile) Sepang International Circuit, in Malaysia.
In the Sprint race, the Mexican native had a good start but an incident dropped him back, finishing 19th. Sprint race winner Neel Jani, completed the 10-lap race in 18'20.910, French Loic Duval was second 3.792 seconds behind and Canadian Robert Wickens came home third, 13.127 seconds adrift.
"We've just finished the two races here in Malaysia. In both I had good starts. In the first race I've started 16th and at the middle of the first lap I was already 11th. When attempting to overtake for the 10th place -which was the USA driver, he closed the door and when trying to avoid him I spun. Because it was such a short race, I wasn't able to recover," the Mexican driver said after competing for the first time at the difficult Malaysian circuit.
The Feature race was held under a 32° C hot weather and 66 per cent humidity, which were harsh conditions for the drivers. In this race Michel started from the 20th place and at the end of the first lap he was already 12th. On lap 2 he regained a couple of places and most of the time he raced in the Top-10.
When there were seven laps to go Jourdain Jr. reached the second place, which he enjoyed it for just a couple of laps. Unfortunately, a problem when pitting took longer than expected and Michel ended up vying for the last spot that could reward points. The last lap was exciting with a final battle for the 10th place that involved the Mexican, American and British drivers, which finally was won by Oliver Jarvis.
Nonetheless, Jarvis' joy was short-lived. Brazilian Sergio Jimenez and he were penalized for gaining an unfair advantage in the pit lane during the first mandatory stop, promoting France to second place, USA to tenth and Mexico to 11th.
"In the second race I was passing several cars. The car was really good. We were running in eight-nine, but during the final pit stop we had a problem with an air wrench for changing tyres and we lost about five or six seconds. I finished half of a second behind the ninth place, so we were very close. Therefore, we were very close to collect points, which would have been very good for the A1 Team Mexico," said Jourdain Jr.
Netherlands
In the Sprint race A1 Team Netherlands had a good start from tenth on the grid, but Jeroen Bleekemolen was unlucky and collided with New Zealand, which cost some positions. He tucked in right behind Ireland. For a few laps Adam Carroll managed to keep Bleekemolen behind him, but op lap six A1 Team Netherlands did get past. A better result was not within reach in the remaining four laps. With this result the team thought to have won three points, but was eventually penalized by the stewards because they were found to have gone next to South Africa four seconds early. In the Feature race Bleekemolen again had bad luck at the start when Germany did not get away very well. After A1 Team Netherlands went wide a bit in the first corner it dropped to seventh. A strong race took Bleekemolen, after a good first stop further forward and the podium was well within reach. During the first stop Brazil made a strange move by passing everyone waiting at the red light in the pitlane, including Netherlands and leader Switzerland. Especially in the second part of the race A1 Team Netherlands was quick. Bleekemolen overtook Loic Duval of France brilliantly on the outside and climbed to third, but unfortunately he had to give this back to France after the engine stalled unexpectedly during the second stop. Bleekemolen passed the finish line in fourth, giving A1 Team Netherlands 8 points for the Championship. Without the three points of the Sprintrace taken into account A1 Team Netherlands is now in fourth with 39 points. This result has yet to been confirmed though, because various teams are still under investigation and penalties might follow.
Jeroen Bleekemolen; "The Sprintrace actually went quite well. I tried to go on the outside at the start, but that did not quite work out. I was almost into sixth. Only I hit New Zealand and this cost me some places. But we managed to overtake Ireland and set the third fastest lap time of the race, so our pace was quite good. The penalty for the jumpstart I feel is completely ridiculous. According to the stewards I went alongside South Africa four seconds early. But at that point you are still in the final corner before the lights turn green. This is complete rubbish. They won't even look at it, let alone talk to us about it.We were busy with this right up to the second race, I did not even get a chance to eat something prior to the race. I was furious, I have never been this angry at a race. Then you do not have the best start to the second race. But this went very well. At the start I took a lot of risk, but I had a poor start because of Germany. They had a real bad start. I braked very late for the first corner, then I was almost into second. But I did not get away with this and dropped some more places. In the first stint the car did not feel too great, from the second one onward it was superb and I was able to move up the order. At one point I was in third with Brazil in reach. That is why it's a shame that the engine stalled at the pitstop. I do not know yet if it was my mistake or if the car just stalled. That is our bad luck, otherwise you are second or third. Maybe Brazil or France will get penalties and then we do end up on the podium in the end. I did not suffer from the red light at the end of the pitlane, but there Brazil overtook cars and they should really get penalized for this. We were quite fast, second fastest lap time in the Feature race. The fact that we are not in the top in free practice on Friday and are now inside the top three with lap times is very positive. Now we have to start winning races as soon as possible to catch Switzerland."
Jan Lammers; "Both verbally and administrative we have given our evidence and done everything in our power to show that the penalty in the Sprint race was unjust and get it reversed. Now we have to wait if that decision, which I feel is wrong, will actually be corrected. History has shown that this never ever happens. After 36 years of racing I have yet to witness an organisation rectify a mistake or correct it or an official reversing his decision, good or bad. I think this will not happen. One thing is easy to prove, the fact that South Africa had a poor start. Instead of Adrian Zaug admitting his mistake they went and react to their bad race by protesting us. That causes the reaction from the organisation. It is a part of the sport. We should focus on the positive things though. In both the Sprint and the Feature race we were inside the top three on lap times. We lead the race and did hold the fastest lap of the race for a while. Of course we are upset about the time penalty and the engine stalling, but add this to the positive things and it is a motivator for us and does show our ambitions. And that victory we have to take some time soon."
New Zealand
New Zealand has dropped to 3rd overall in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport after a problem-plagued weekend in Malaysia.
The championship leader heading into the 3rd round at Sepang, Black Beauty could only finish 6th in the opening Sprint Race and 8 th in the grueling Feature Race after an early accident sent the car to the back of the field.
Kiwi driver Jonny Reid worked overtime to work his way through traffic into the top 10 as Switzerland scored a double victory to rocket to the top of the table.
The Swiss now have 61 points, ten clear of France with New Zealand six points further back in 3rd on 45 points.
Team spokesman Bob McMurray said it was a disappointing weekend, but it could've been much worse. "It was a typically strong performance from Jonny Reid, who kept his cool in the extreme heat and humidity," McMurray said. "When he tangled with Malaysia on only the second lap and was forced into the pits for a tyre change, he had a mountain of work to do to come back from 21 st place. It was a spirited drive."
McMurray said that because a number of pre-race favourites like Great Britain, South Africa and the Netherlands dipped out on meaningful points, the damage on the points table was minimised.
"A weekend that promised so much from our preparation and started so well with the rookie driving of Earl Bamber went strongly downhill from that point to be one to forget and put behind us," McMurray said. "Gearbox failure hampered our qualifying and it was a credit to the team that we collected enough points to stay in the top three given the clash with the Malaysian car.
"We must keep our focus on winning the overall championship and with seven rounds remaining that is still extremely possible."
Pakistan
In hot and humid conditions, A1 Team Pakistan competed in the third round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport today, at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia. Returning to the track where he raced in the first season of A1GP, Adam Khan was once again behind the wheel of the green and white car, representing his nation. In two thrilling races, which saw numerous incidents and crashes, Khan made his way through the field to finish the Sprint race in 17th place and the Feature race in 15th.
With a customary rolling start, the Sprint race got underway at 11.00 local time, with Khan making an excellent start to pass both Mexico and Indonesia by the end of the pit straight. With only 10 laps and no pit stops, Khan had little opportunity to make up any further places and crossed the line 18th. A 42-second penalty for A1 Team Netherlands for jumping the start resulted in A1 Team Pakistan being elevated to 17th place.
Following a vibrant and colourful opening ceremony in front of an enthusiastic crowd, the A1GP cars lined up for the 70 minute Feature race. Khan made a lightening start and taking a tight line into the first corner, Khan made it past a gaggle of cars which ran wide, allowing Pakistan to make up a number of places. As the melee unfolded, Khan stayed out of trouble. Following an incident involving South Africa and Canada, the safety car was brought out on lap eight, just as the pit lane opened for the first pit stops. Following his stop, Khan emerged in 14th place behind the safety car.
As racing recommenced on lap 11, Khan maintained his position. The A1 Team Pakistan driver soon came under pressure from Czech Republic race winner A1 Team New Zealand behind him. Demonstrating his defensive driving skills Khan kept the black car behind him for four laps. New Zealand driver Jonny Reid finally found a way past on lap 15, as did local driver and former F1 driver Alex Yoong, relegating Khan to 16th place.
In an extremely competitive race, A1 Team USA found a way past the A1 Team Pakistan car at the end of lap 17. Refusing to surrender, Khan retook his position on the next lap. With current champions A1 Team Germany served with a drive through penalty, Pakistan made up a further place on lap 22 to take 15th position.
Having lost a place to the A1 Team USA following the team's second pit stop, contact between Germany and the Czech Republic on lap 29 elevated the green and white car of Pakistan back up to 15th place. As temperatures inside the A1GP car soared, Khan stayed out of trouble and maintained his position to the chequered flag on lap 30.
Speaking about his race, Khan said, "I got a very good start in the Feature race and made up a number of places. Unfortunately after the pit stops I lost quite a few positions. Defending against New Zealand was great fun, but they were much quicker and on such a wide track it was very difficult to keep him behind me. Unfortunately I wasted a little bit of time defending the position, but I couldn't just let him by. I think there are a few elements we need to work on before the next race, but we're making progress and we finished a lot higher up than we started which is always a good thing. I'm hopeful we'll be further up the finishing order in China."
A1 Team Pakistan seatholder Arif Husain added, "I'm very pleased with how the team performed today, considering where we started on the grid, I think the 15th place in the Feature race was a good achievement. Conditions were very challenging today, and a lot of experienced drivers made mistakes, but Adam stayed out of trouble to being the car home in one piece. I think the team have made progress throughout the weekend, and we will be aiming to improve this at the next race in China."
South Africa
On a race day of wildly fluctuating fortunes, Switzerland scored a dominant first-ever double in round three of the A1GP World Cup of Nations, with Neel Jani showing his class by winning both the 10-lap Sprint race and the 35-lap Feature race.
The 70-minute Feature race was the 50th A1GP race since this unique series, that pits nation against nation in identical cars, was launched in Great Britain in September 2005. Fittingly, it was one of the best races seen yet.
In addition to Neel Jani's commanding performance in the Team Switzerland car (winner of both poles, both races and fastest laps in both races), it was distinguished by numerous bold and brave overtaking manoeuvres, nose-to-tail battles for position throughout the field and a top drawer performance by an exciting new star of A1GP, Sergio Jimenez.
The 23-year-old Brazilian, who hails from Sao Paolo, was spotted by team principal and former world F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi and given a chance to represent his country. Jimenez grabbed it with both hands and gave a polished performance in the Feature race in his first appearance in an A1GP car. He took the lead from Switzerland after the first of the two mandatory pit stops (on lap nine) and was in control until the second round of pit stops, when he stayed out longer than Switzerland and rejoined the race on lap 25 behind the eventual winner.
South Africa slipped from second in the championship to fifth after failing to score any points in either race.
Vulindlela, with 21-year-old Adrian Zaugg at the wheel, finished 12th in the first race after starting from eighth place and crashed out of the second race while fighting the Netherlands for seventh place after starting ninth.
"We were under pressure to score points in the Feature race after finishing 12th in the Sprint race," said Mike Carroll, general manager of A1 Team South Africa. "Adrian was looking good in the opening laps and was pressuring Jeroen Bleekemolen in the Netherlands' car when he went wide in a corner on lap 7, slid on the grass and spun across the circuit into the path of A1 Team Canada.
"It might not have been our day today, but what a great occasion for A1GP," added Carroll. "A dominant first-time double by Team Switzerland, a resurgence by reigning A1GP champions France, with whom we share a technical partnership, and a stunning return to form by Team Brazil with their exciting new driver Sergio Jimenez. The pace of our partners all weekend and our own pace during the Feature race were real positives that we will take out of this round. We were very lucky Adrian didn't have a bigger accident when he tried to rejoin the race in front of Team Canada."
"I thought I had the measure of Jeroen and was looking for a way past him when I overdid it a bit going into one of the right-handers. It was my mistake," Zaugg admitted. "Once I got on to the grass I lost control and we spun across the circuit. I managed to stay on the tar and keep the engine running, but I was facing the outside of the corner. I accelerated as soon as I saw a gap, but unfortunately was unable to avoid a collision with Canada. It was a very unhappy ending - for both of us - and I'm very sorry for the team. They worked hard to give me a good car and I was feeling confident of a good result."
Switzerland
At the third round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Sepang-Malaysia, A1 Team Switzerland driver Neel Jani fulfilled his dream and won the two consecutive races of the Malaysian week-end: The 10-lap sprint race on the 5.44 km long track leading from start to chequered flag and the main feature race after having been challenged by Brazil, Sergio Jimenez. The team has now collected 61 points in the championship after six race starts, ten points ahead of A1 France. There is no other driver and circuit combination quite like Neel Jani and Sepang International Circuit in A1GP.
Starting the sprint race from pole on the grid after an exciting qualifying on Saturday, where Jani had put the A1 Team Switzerland car on pole position in all four qualifying attempts. Jani kept the advantage at the start of the sprint race. The Swiss driver controlled the race from start to end, immediately dug the gap with France and Canada and remained in the lead until the chequered flag. Neel Jani managed to cross the line almost four seconds ahead of second-placed A1 Team France driver Loïc Duval and clocked a first fastest lap on lap 2 with 1.49.862 and on lap ten with 1.49.221. This is Neel Jani's second win for the sprint race on this Malaysian track and the Swiss driver scored a first 16 points for his team.
In the feature race, Neel Jani had a phenomenal start and again kept the leadership. By the end of lap two, Switzerland had pulled out a 2.701 lead from France. Then everything went smooth and Neel clocked fastest lap with 1.51.099 on lap 5. An accident on lap 8 caused the safety car to go out. Then the pit window was opened (8-16) and Brazil took the lead from Switzerland in the pit lane with Indonesia third, after the pit stop as the race was still under safety car. Once the safety car was off, the fight was hot between UK, France and Switzerland behind Brazil. Neel was lapping a regular 1.51.359 as it was Brazil's turn to become fastest lap in 1.51.056 on lap 13.
With eighteen laps to go Jani was catching up Brazil and was only 0.604' and on the following lap only 0.156' away from Brazil putting the leader under pressure. The second pit stop windows opened on lap 22(til lap30) and changed the race game plan; Neel Jani came in for the second pit stop on lap 23 with 12 laps to go just before the pit lane got crowded. It was logical for Switzerland to retake the lead and take the second chequered flag of his week-end with a 8.414' lead ahead of Brazil's Jimenez.
It is no wonder that Neel Jani had a bright smile on the podium. Scoring another 16 points, Switzerland took the lead of the championship, (61 points), ten points ahead of France. Neel Jani said: "The start of the sprint race was a bit messy. I braked too late and went wide and almost touched cars with France. But I was lucky and maintained the car and the lead. The car was perfect on both the slow and quick corners."
Neel continued to comment about the feature race: "A superb race! An unbelievable week-end! I am fantastically happy! In the feature race, the safety car disrupted our flow as we were blocked in the pit lane Finally I got this feature race even if it did not fall so easily in my hands. We were sitting at the end of the pit lane stuck with a red light after our pit stop and Brazil took the lead of the race. I had a good fight with Great Britain and France after that and I maintained the 2nd position. A great drive and really entertaining! I maintained the pressure over Sergio Jimenez until my pit stop and made sure not to come in at the same time than he did. James Robinson, my engineer, had a splendid strategy for our second pit stop. The pit crew did a fantastic job. I started to push again when I rejoined the race and after a while, I was in position to work back up in the classification and retake the lead which lasted till the end of the race. My dream is fulfilled and I won two races on this fantastic Sepang track. We getting to understand each other better and better in the team and I hope we can continue like this all year round. Just a fantastic week-end and I was able to fight for this second consecutive win all through the race. I really like this flowing track. Sepang is definitely one of my favorites. I hope to maintain our advantage in Zhuhai even if I have never been there before. I learn tracks fast. So it should not be too difficult of a challenge."
Max Welti, Team Principal, A1 Team Switzerland commented: "I am very proud for the team and the country about our two race wins. To earn two poles, the fastest laps in each sprint and feature races and two wins the same week-end is a fantastic achievement from Neel Jani and the entire team. Neel controlled the two races remarkably well. In the feature race Neel drove superbly after an excellent start and the car was extremely competitive, and Neel was able to fight in a tough way. It brought Team A1 Switzerland to two consecutive wins in the same week-end, a first in the history of our young team A1 Switzerland. It was great team work all along the race, including the pit stops, showing how much our young team has progressed. I would like to congratulate the drivers, Rahel Frey and Neel Jani and everyone in the team for an extremely professional job over the weekend and the best ever races of our young team's history today. A1 Team Switzerland could not have done better this week-end. Really proud that Neel did the double!"
USA
Jonathan Summerton finished 10th in the Feature race Sunday at Sepang International Circuit, scoring A1 Team USA's first point of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport season with a spirited drive from the back following an unlucky start.
"What a race," Summerton said. "We're really happy to have scored our first point of the season and disappointed we didn't finish higher. The 'We the People' car was fast, but we kept running into all kinds of trouble. We certainly earned that point."
The 19-year-old from Kissimmee, Fla., gridded 13th for the 35-lap Feature on the 3.44-mile, 15-turn course.
"I gained about two positions on the (standing) start, but there was a three-car pileup in Turn One," Summerton said. "I was stuck on the outside and had to go through the gravel to avoid crashing into the stopped cars and dropped to the back of the field."
Summerton was not only running 21st, but he had lost distance to the tail end of the field. He drove up to 16th when the safety car came out to begin a full-course caution on lap nine.
"We had some problems with the radio and by the time I heard the Team telling me to pit, I was past the entrance and had to go around behind the safety car," Summerton said. "The rest of the field pitted a lap earlier and we restarted 19th."
Summerton climbed to 17th before encountering Pakistan's Adam Khan.
"He turned into me while we were driving in a straight line and then pushed me into the grass when I tried to pass him again," Summerton said. "It changed the handling of the car both times."
Summerton and Khan made their second pit stop on the 25th lap and A1 Team USA got out in front of Pakistan.
"We had a great stop," Summerton said. "Without Pakistan in front of us, I was able to run much faster laps. I know we were gaining positions, but wasn't sure where I was on the final lap. I found out later I was in 10th. I tried to pass Australia for ninth and (Ian Dyk) pushed me into the grass and that allowed Great Britain (Oliver Jarvis) to get past."
Following the race, Great Britain was penalized two seconds for speeding on the pit lane and it moved A1 Team USA into 10th in the results.
Summerton finished 12th in the 10-lap Sprint earlier Sunday. He started 11th and immediately gained four positions, but ran into a first-lap crash involving China's Congfu Chang and New Zealand's Jonny Reid.
"We were unlucky with China and New Zealand making contact in front of us," Summerton said. "I had to brake hard to miss becoming part of the incident and we fell back to 15th. The car was unbalanced and had a vibration after that and didn't make much progress. We were able to fix the vibration and improve the car with a damper (suspension) change for the Feature."
Summerton was 14th in the provisional results. A1 Team USA gained two positions in the official classification when Germany and The Netherlands were penalized.
"I think what we take away from today most is that we had a fast car in the Feature and were able to pass cars," A1 Team USA owner Rick Weidinger said. "We're pleased to have scored a point, but more important was our performance. It was a successful return for Jonathan and the Team worked well together. Those are all positives as we move forward.
"But, in order to begin achieving the goals we established prior to the start of the season, we need a bit better organization and communication during the race. If we accomplish this, we will find ourselves in the top five."
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