15/08/2008
NEWS STORY
Just five weeks before the season opener of the fourth year of A1GP - the first using the much publicised powered by Ferrari package - testing has been brought to a premature halt following a technical failure.
It's been revealed that following a three-day test at Paul Ricard, where Andrea Bertolini was at the wheel, former F1 driver Patrick Friesacher was slightly injured during the subsequent test at Magny-Cours. It's understood the Austrian sustained three crushed vertebrae in an accident caused by the failure of the right-rear top wishbone on the all-new car.
Consequently, the planned four-day test was brought to a premature end, while the test at Silverstone (August 19 and 20), which should have been a group test open to the media, will now feature just the series test cars and the media will not be allowed to attend. Instead, the group test will take place at Donington from September 9 - 11, just over a week before the first race of the season.
A reliable A1GP source told Pitpass: "The new car has been a much bigger technical challenge than expected".