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Top 3 Final Championship Positions |
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1st SUI, 168pts
2nd NZL, 127pts
3rd GBR, 126pts
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The Pit Stop Kings of 2008 |
 Who had the best pit stop crew in the A1GP pit lane last season?
Well, after a bit of statistical analysis work done by A1GP.com in the close season, it looks as if A1 Team Australia did.
Australia completed the fastest single pit stop in five out of ten Feature races in 2007/08, one more than its closest rival – Ireland. Germany also recorded one pit stop ‘win’ over the course of the season.
Australia also came out on top of A1GP.com’s unofficial pit stop performance leader board, which averages the pit stop performance through the whole season to create a ranking of nations.
How was this calculated? Every mandatory pit stop in a Feature race in the 2007/08 was recorded by A1GP’s official timing system. The fastest single pit stop completed by each team in the Feature race is used to provide an individual pit leaderboard for each race.
The average position of each team on the race leaderboards was then used to determine an overall season ranking using the average placing of the teams throughout the season. Australia had the best average finishing position, closely followed by Ireland and New Zealand, Canada and Germany.
By averaging only the completed pit stops, this method of scoring didn’t penalise the pit crew if the car had retired before the first mandatory pit stop was reached. If, as was most often the case, the team successfully completed two pit stops, then only the fastest single stop counted towards this unofficial table and the team just had two goes at getting it right.
Only ‘fair’ and normal pit stops were counted (ones where all four tyres were changed). Stops which were taken where damage repair had to be made were not counted.
The timing of a pit stop starts at pit lane entry and finishes at pit lane exit, which is the fairest and most accurate method of comparing pit stops. For the first four rounds, pit stop times were recorded to the nearest second. From the fifth round onwards, pit stops were recorded to one thousandths of a second.
Australia also believes that it could have had another victory in Taupo if a timing error hadn’t meant that one of its stops hadn’t been recorded. Due to problems in the race, John Martin was not pitting at the same time as the majority of runners. The stop was however captured by the team on a camera on the pit wall, which can be seen by clicking here.
Teams take great pride in not just their performance on track, but the performance in the pits. Spectators who hang around after qualifying on Saturday often see the teams repeating stop after practice stop as the sun starts to set – and even the early birds on race day could catch a few last minute run through for the real things. |
 A1 Alex on July 14 2008 16:03:41 ·
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The A1GP Record Books |
 After three epic seasons, containing 64 races across 17 circuits in 14 countries, there have been many feats of brilliance in A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. Many records have been set, only for them to be broken, and broken again.
With the clock counting down until the 2008/09 season begins in September, and the new A1GP Powered by Ferrari cars being readied for the battle, it was time for A1GP.com to have a little look back through the record books and pull out some of the standard… and not so standard A1GP records.
Most wins
Team: France (14)
Driver: Nico Hulkenberg (nine)
France heads the team victory league, while Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg is A1GP’s most successful driver.
Most pole positions
Team: Switzerland (nine)
Driver: Neel Jani (nine)
Neel Jani’s brilliance over a single lap means that both he and Switzerland top the pole positions league, having started first in each of the last three seasons.
Youngest capped driver
Armaan Ebrahim (16 years, five months, six days)
This record will take some beating. Teenager Ebrahim (A1 Team India) become A1GP’s youngest ever racer in the Estoril Sprint race way back in 2005, and nobody has since come close. He remains the only 16-year-old to race an A1GP car.
Youngest person to win an A1GP race
Christian Vietoris (18 years, nine months, 19 days)
Germany’s Vietoris brilliantly won Taupo’s Feature race in 2008 to become A1GP’s youngest winner, knocking four months off the record held by country man Nico Hulkenberg. Robert Wickens (A1 Team Canada) was just two months older than Vietoris when he won his first race a few weeks later in Durban but…
Youngest driver on pole position
Robert Wickens (18 years, 11 months, ten days)
…his stellar qualifying performance meant he was still good enough to be A1GP’s youngest ever pole sitter that very weekend.
Team with most number of different winners
France and Germany
Both have had three different winners racing for it. France’s gold medal roll-call includes Alexandre Premat, Nicolas Lapierre and Loic Duval, while Germany’s victories were taken by Nico Hulkenberg, Michael Ammermuller and Christian Vietoris.
Most caps
Alex Yoong (54)
So far, Malaysia’s Yoong is the only driver to achieve the milestone of a half-century of races for his country…
Most consecutive caps
Alex Yoong (45)
…so it is no surprise to learn he is also the driver with the highest number of consecutive races too. He managed a 45-race stretch from his home event in 2005 through to Taupo in 2008. The run was broken when the team elected to recall Fairuz Fauzy in a bid to strengthen competitiveness.
Most consecutive points scoring races
A1 Team France (21 races)
A1 Team’s France’s strong run of points finishes stretches from Germany’s Sprint race in 2005 through to its maiden victory at Zandvoort 2007. New Zealand got a run of 16 going, but it ended when Jonny Reid spun out of contention early in the Mexico City Feature race in 2008.
Largest gaps between caps for a country
David Martinez (49 races)
Mexico chose to recall the 26-year-old to its squad in Brands Hatch in 2008, and with his last start coming 49 races previously, it meant that Martinez set the unusual record for the largest number of races between caps for a driver in A1GP. Martinez was capped four times for the squad in the 2005/06 season, finishing in the points in his maiden race in Germany in ’05. Before Brands Hatch, he last raced in Durban, South Africa in January ’06.
Longest gap between race wins
France (36 races)
Sure, teams like Brazil are still currently on a 62-race winless streak since their last glory, however, France holds the record for the longest wait between wins. A whopping 36 races separated Alex Premat’s win in the Mexico Feature in 2006 with Loic Duval’s Sprint win in Sydney in 2008.
Most races competed in before actually winning one
Robbie Kerr (33 races)
Despite being one of the fastest and most consistent drivers on the A1GP grid, it didn’t stop Robbie Kerr being unlucky. Despite leading in only his second race, it took him 31 further races to break his duck, with a dominant win in the Sprint race in Shanghai. Only one other driver has competed in more races but remained winless – Indonesia’s Ananda Mikola.
Biggest winning margin
42.849 seconds (A1GP Sepang, Malaysia 2006/7 Feature)
In torrential rain showers, A1 Team Germany talent Nico Hulkenberg mastered the conditions to win by a staggering margin. In the ultra-close world of A1GP, it has never even come close to being beaten.
Smallest winning margin
0.243 seconds (A1GP Durban, South Africa 2005/06 Sprint race)
France’s Alexandre Premat just managed to hold off Great Britain’s Robbie Kerr around the tight and unforgiving streets of Durban in the inaugural season. It is the only A1GP race to be decided by less than a quarter of a second. Blink and you would have missed it.
Team with most amount of drivers to lead a race
France (Five)
A1 Team France has managed to get five different drivers out front in its car - Alexandre Premat, Nicolas Lapierre, Loic Duval, Jonathan Cochet, Franck Montagny – although only the first three have managed to be there when the chequered flag flew at the end.
Medal toppers
France (30 medals)
Thanks in part to its dominant first season, Les Bleus have racked up a staggering 30 medals for their trophy cabinet.
Nation with the most amount of capped drivers
Australia, Brazil, Mexico (eight drivers each)
To date, 116 drivers have raced in A1GP, but three teams in particular have been responsible for a significant proportion of that. However those three, it could be argued that Australia is infact the most successful because…
Nation with most number different drivers collecting medals
Australia (Five)
….it took less than two seasons for a quintet of drivers to score podium finishes in Jackaroo. The roll call even comprises three drivers, Will Power, Marcus Marshall, and Ian Dyk, who won them in their maiden A1GP weekends. Ryan Briscoe and Karl Reindler were also quite quick off the mark, and both scored their podiums with just a few races under their belts. Australia’s incredible record here still stands, despite no further podium places being scored in the 2007/08 season.
Season with most number of victors
2007/08 (Ten different winners)
In what proved to be the closest season ever, just under half of all nations won a race. Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, USA all heard their national anthem being played to the crowd.
Nation with the most A1GP victories on home soil
Great Britain (Two)
A1 Team Great Britain’s Robbie Kerr has taken two victories at Brands Hatch – in the Sprint race in 2007 and the corresponding race in 2008. Only one other nation has taken a home victory, New Zealand, in Taupo in ‘08. |
| A1 Alex on July 14 2008 14:03:09
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Michael Ammermuller - Season Review |
 It was certainly a stand-out season for A1 Team Germany’s Michael Ammermuller.
When not making the headlines for his front-running pace, he was for earning penalties and gaining notoriety for being the only driver this season to be excluded from a race. Twice.
He literally went from one extreme to the next. From the despair of being disqualified for his third successive driving offence in Sepang, Malaysia, he went to the ecstasy of becoming Germany’s second winner by dominating the Sprint race in Zhuhai, the very next race.
His pace was always there but, for numerous reasons, it rarely translated into results. His average qualifying position over his 14 caps was seventh, however, his average finishing position was 13th.
Aside from the penalties, there was a raft of incidents that could not be classed as his fault. He didn’t even get to complete a lap of the Sprint race in Mexico when he was clattered from behind as the rolling start began, and there was the podium-robbing example where a freak stone damaged a valve and deflated a tyre in the Feature race at Brands Hatch.
“We did a great job this season, it’s just we didn’t have a lot of luck,” the 22-year-old said. “Sometimes we got disqualified and sometimes we had some bad luck. In the end it wasn’t a lot of good results.
“Sometimes we were really good and didn’t have that bad luck to go with it, but this wasn’t very often during the season.”
Driving for the majority of the season for the reigning champion meant that Ammermuller was a natural focus of media attention.
And despite the rollercoaster of emotions he experienced, he is keen on returning in 2008/09 in the next generation of A1GP cars, powered by Ferrari. He is hoping Germany’s renowned engineering expertise will help him be the fastest to get to grips with the new breed of cars.
“I would like to drive the new car, it is going to be really interesting, but I don’t know what [seat holder] Willi Weber will do next year,” he added. “But [if I’m asked] I would really like to test and do some races for Germany next season.
“Nobody knows the [ideal] set-up for the car yet or which team will get the new car sorted out the quickest. So, at the moment you can’t say a lot about who will be fighting at the front. But for sure we will try to get another title.
“Our team has a lot of experience and we will be fast, very soon with the new car and maybe get an advantage. It could be easier to win races because the others will not learn as quickly.”
"If we can do well at the start of the season, then maybe we can go for that second title.”
No team has won two A1GP titles yet. Could Germany be the first?
Ammermuller's 2007/08 results
Seq Season Race Grid Race
1 2007/08 Malaysia-S 4 16
2 2007/08 Malaysia-F 3 -
3 2007/08 Zhuhai, China-S 1 1
4 2007/08 Zhuhai, China-F 5 4
5 2007/08 Australia-S 7 4
6 2007/08 Australia-F 12 7
7 2007/08 South Africa-S 6 -
8 2007/08 South Africa-F 7 20
9 2007/08 Mexico-S 13 22
10 2007/08 Mexico-F 3 20
11 2007/08 Shanghai, China-S 9 6
12 2007/08 Shanghai, China-F 13 10
13 2007/08 Great Britain-S 9 11
14 2007/08 Great Britain-F 5 19 |
| A1 Alex on May 29 2008 15:57:39
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A1GP Drivers Racing Across The Globe: Volume 1 (12/05/08) |
 It was a busy weekend for lots of past and present A1GP drivers, as they participated in many different series around the globe.
Former A1 Team Brazil driver Nelson Piquet and former A1 Team Germany driver Adrian Sutil, who are now both in Formula 1, participated in the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul. Piquet qualified a disappointing 17th in his Renault and could only manage 15th in the race, while Sutil qualified his Force India 20th and last but, despite having to pit during the race for a new nosecone, he came home 16th, one place below his former A1GP rival. Neither men have scored a point so far this season, so neither has a current championship position.
A number of other A1GP drivers were also in action in Istanbul, competing in the F1-supporting GP2 Series. Former A1 Team India driver Karun Chandhok finished a solid 4th in the feature race, but made contact with Javier Villa during the sprint race, ending the shorter second race in 12th. A1 Team Ireland's Adam Carroll qualified a sensational 3rd for the feature race, despite only sitting in the new GP2 car for the first time that morning, but got a poor start and could only manage 8th in his return to the series. This gave him pole for the reverse sprint race, but a clutch problem forced him to retire on the first lap. Sébastien Buemi, formerly of A1 Team Switzerland, was very consistent - he took 6th in the feature race and 3rd in the reverse grid sprint. Former A1 Team China driver Ho-Pin Tung didn't have a very successful weekend, however. 11th place in the feature race was followed by a disappointing stall on the grid in the sprint, which caused him to retire from the race. Former A1 Team Portugal racer Álvaro Parente had a disappointing weekend – the winner of the season’s opening race in Barcelona retired from the feature race and, despite making up a remarkable 16 places from his grid position in the shorter sprint, he finished outside of the points in 8th. Buemi now lies 3rd in the championship, ahead of Parente (6th), Chandhok (9th), Carroll (15th) and Tung (no championship position).
There were two other A1GP drivers racing in Turkey this past weekend – A1 Team Netherlands racer Jeroen Bleekemolen and former A1 Team GBR rookie Danny Watts were participating in round 4 of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season. Bleekemolen retired from the race while Watts came home 7th. Bleekemolen has dropped from the lead of the championship to second after the pointless weekend, while Watts is in 6th.
A1 Team France’s Loïc Duval had an average weekend in Suzuka, where he was participating in round 2 of the Formula Nippon season. He qualified 20th and last, five seconds off the pace, but overtook 10 cars in the race on his way to 10th place. He now lies 15th in the championship, with 2 points from 2 races.
A1 Team Switzerland rookie Rahel Frey finished 6th in the first ATS F3 Cup (German F3) race at Oschersleben, and retired from the second on the first lap. She is currently 12th in the standings.
Meanwhile, A1 Team Italy racer Edoardo Piscopo scored a double win in the Italian F3 series at Mugello. Piscopo leads the championship.
In Japanese F3, A1 Team Switzerland rookie Alexandre Imperatori had a disastrous weekend, the former National Class championship leader finishing the first race at Suzuka in 14th and retiring from the second. He has dropped to 2nd in the National Class and 10th overall as a result.
Two former A1 Team Australia drivers were in action in the V8 Supercars Australia races at Barbagallo. Will Davison finished 8th, 6th and 5th in the three races while Marcus Marshall placed 22nd, 17th and 19th. Davison is currently 7th in the championship, while Marshall lies 24th.
In the Le Mans Series at Spa, former A1 Team France championship winning driver Alexandre Premat finished 2nd overall in the Audi he shares with Mike Rockenfeller. Premat’s team-mate in France’s title-winning season, Nicolas Lapierre, finished 3rd overall alongside A1 Team France sporting director Olivier Panis in the ORECA Courage. Former A1 Team Netherlands driver Jos Verstappen finished 6th overall, winning the LMP2 class, in the Porsche he shares with team owner Peter van Merksteijn. A1 Team Great Britain’s Robbie Kerr finished 9th overall, 6th in LMP1, in the Creation he shares with Stuart Hall. A1 Team France tester Guillaume Moreau finished 13th overall, winning GT1, alongside Luc Alphand and Patrice Gouselard in a Corvette C6.R. Former A1 Team Russia driver Roman Rusinov was 15th overall, 2nd in GT1, sharing with Peter Kox while Tomas Enge, of A1 Team Czech Republic, was 16th overall and 3rd in GT1 alongside Antonio Garcia. Former A1 Team Czech Republic driver Jan Charouz finished 36 laps down in 29th overall, 10th in GT1, alongside Stefan Mucke. Jonny Kane, who tested the biofuel A1GP car, retired he and team-mate Warren Hughes’ Zytek 66 laps from the end. Pedro Lamy, the former A1 Team Portugal tester, also retired he and partners Stephane Sarrazin & Alex Wurz’ Peugoet from the race.
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| kerrmanningjarvis on May 12 2008 16:24:37
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A point proved for Indonesia's Hermanto |
 Satrio Hermanto is looking forward to next season after finally scoring a point in the last race of 2007/08 at Brands Hatch.
The 23-year-old is keen to keep racing for A1 Team Indonesia in the 2008/09 campaign, and reckons finally getting a point, by finishing tenth, in the Feature race in Great Britain shows Indonesia could be more than a perennial backmarker.
Having come up from 20th on the grid, he beat many experienced runners in a frantic final seven laps, including resurgent South African and Irish cars of Adrian Zaugg and Adam Carroll.
It visibly meant a lot to an emotional Hermanto, who started the season with comparatively little racing experience but ended it on a high.
‘The last seven laps were very tough,’ Hermanto said. ‘I was told I was in tenth and capable of securing a point. I knew how much that meant to everyone. I saw the cars behind me and I had to keep it pushing.
‘On the last lap at Paddock Hill Bend, I made a mistake. Then the Czech Republic car passed me and on the second corner there was a little bit of touching between us. But I held on to take the point.
‘I was really happy to finally get it. It’s amazing. I couldn’t imagine starting the race from 20th and finishing in tenth place. It is really great to end the season like this.’
Now Hermanto is looking towards next season in A1GP, with a new car, powered by Ferrari.
‘I love being in A1GP and I’m hoping that next season it will be much better for us,’ he added.
‘I will keep pushing to develop my driving style. It is about building on what I have done already. The aim is to build on all the learning I have done this season.
‘I made some mistakes in a couple of races but I know the limits now. This has been a good step for next season.’ |
| A1 Alex on May 11 2008 21:24:30
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Adam Carroll gets GP2 call up |
After an outstanding season in A1GP with Belmayne A1 Team Ireland, which saw him score four podiums and the team’s maiden victory in Mexico City, Portadown’s Adam Carroll is heading out to Turkey today to make his GP2 return with Fisichella Motor Sport.
Adam, who won two GP2 Series races for the Italian squad in 2007, will return to the team ahead of this weekend’s race at the Istanbul circuit in Turkey, round two of the 2008 GP2 Series. Adam will replace Adrian Valles following the Spaniard's departure from the team after the opening round at Barcelona two weeks ago.
Adam is confirmed to drive for FMSI for the next two rounds in Istanbul, Turkey and Monaco, the tricky street circuit where he scored an outstanding 2005 race win. Adam has five GP2 victories to his name, with two of those coming last season with FMSI. He scored a further three podium finishes in 2007, finishing the season in a strong seventh place in the drivers’ championship, despite missing the first five races.
Adam Carroll: “It all came out of the blue; the team called me to say they needed a driver and it was a simple decision to say yes, so now I’m off to Turkey. You’ve got to love motor racing! It’s going to be brilliant to drive the new car and to be racing in Turkey and Monaco, which are two circuits that I really love. I’m really looking forward to the whole experience.” |
| A1 Alex on May 07 2008 16:17:42
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TW Steel become Timings partner of A1GP |
Precision is a key word in both motorsport and the watch industry, so the announcement of TW Steel as the new Official Timing and Watch Partner for A1GP World Cup of Motorsport is an ideal match.
Both the series and the watch company are young and growing rapidly, so the three year deal, starting for the 2008/09 season, will see them continue to do this together on a world stage.
‘This is a very exciting period for A1GP and TW Steel,’ said A1GP Chairman, Tony Teixeira, ‘We are both expanding at a vast rate of knots and have the same aspirations to be recognised in the four corners of the world for excellence in our own fields – A1GP for providing the most exciting racing and TW Steel the most innovative and desirable time pieces. Timing is an essential element in motorsport, so to have such a young, vibrant company partnering us in this is exciting.’
This new partnership is also viewed by TW Steel as a major development which will aid the growth of what is a relatively new company and its Managing Director Jordy Cobelens said: ‘The partnership with A1GP is a very big and important step for TW Steel, and it will help achieve the goal of becoming the biggest brand in oversized watches.’
The company’s logo, which includes two solid dots that are on the face and strap of every watch, will appear on all the series’ official timing screens and on trackside signage, while fans will be able to buy a special A1GP edition watch, all accurate to one twentieth of a second, as part of a retail and merchandise partnership.
TW Steel is a Dutch company with its name meaning ‘The Watch in Steel’ and its tag line being ‘big in oversized watches’. These highly individual watches have proved so successful since they were first introduced three years ago that in 2007 alone the company’s turnover rose by 300 percent, and its worldwide representatives doubled in numbers to nearly 50. Size is very much part of these watches identity with their faces being between 37 and 50milimetres and the company claiming ‘large sizes are also in chime with the current fashion trends’. |
| A1 Alex on May 07 2008 16:00:31
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Martinez did well on his return to the team! |
 Mexican David Martinez had a good performance and the A1 Team Mexico too, in the two races held at the 4.22-Km. circuit of Brands Hatch in the United Kingdom, during the season finale of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsports.
"This Sunday it was a better day for us. David (Martinez) did a good job in the first race that was held at 15 laps and he finished 20th. We were able to obtain information that was useful for the second race which was the longest one and had two pit stops," these were the first comments made by Gustavo del Campo Motor Sport Director of A1 Team Mexico after the event.
"With the information from the first race David felt more confident for the 49-lap Feature Race. In that one, we gained positions until getting the 15th place. In the second pit stop we had a problem with the right rear tyre that even though delayed our pit stop, we were able to correct the problem. When exiting pits in 19th, once again we were able to regain positions and finish 16th. The relationship with team was very good and David did a very good job, which we already knew that he was going to do it," Del Campo said.
On the other hand, driver David Martinez said: "Firstly I want to thank the Mexican team for giving me this opportunity. We learnt a lot and the most important thing is that we have formed a very good work team."
About his races at Brands Hatch the Mexican driver said: "The first race was very short and it was virtually impossible overtaking. On the second one, with the pit stops the things changed and we were able to regain several positions overtaking and in the first pit stop too. I learnt a lot about the track and I was able to race with the same times as the leaders. Unfortunately we had a problem during the second pit stop that sent us again to the back of the field. Even though, when going out to the track we regained positions again and in fact I think we did a great race."
And he added: "We closed very well the weekend and I think we demonstrated that there is a lot of potential, we only need more time to develop the car and in that way we can compete with the leaders." |
| A1 Alex on May 07 2008 15:53:33
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