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A1GP -
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Monday, 29 June 2009 15:02 |
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In the 3rd and 4th parts of our 5 part series, Richard Renes our A1GP correspondent at GPWorld-Online.com is to review the 2008-09 A1GP Season. Part 3-4 - How did the teams perform
Now that the season has ended, it’s time to look back at how the teams performed. Italy (16th): I am quite sure I was not the only person who is disappointed by the performance of the Azuri. Not only did they trade in their beautiful and distinctive azure blue for white with red and green details; their performance didn’t improve either. Liuzzi scored their first pole but was unable to finish that weekend off with, say, a podium. In the end, at crucial times, Italy was just as ‘of the pace’ as they always have been. Prediction for next season: have to fight hard for top 15. Korea (19th): Announced as the first new team since Singapore and Greece, Korea was a team that appeared to be well backed and well thought out. It did take a while before a driver was announced and the choice was made to start with Hwang as main driver. Hwang, normally driving in the Japanese Super GT series, couldn’t match the pace of the rest of the field, and sadly, after 4 starts, Korea disappeared and went ‘restructuring’. A new driver has been announced, but no one saw team Korea back this season. Prediction for next season: I hope they will be back. Lebanon (17th): It seemed to be a surprise move during the summer: Daniel Morad, upto then rookie for Team Canada, switched to fulltime driver for team Lebanon. Already in the first race, Morad did what no one was able to accomplish yet for team Lebanon: he scored their first points!! During the season, Morad showed he has the pace. What is needed now is the luck and/ or wisdom to finish the races in the points. Prediction for next season: could really surprise us: I say top 10. Malaysia (6th): Malaysia started the season well by winning the sprintrace at Zandvoort. It seemed they got the monkey, that plagued them in the third season, off their back. For the rest of te season, Malaysia was always there, scoring points whenever possible. Voted by fans as ‘most improved team’, Malaysia is, was, and will be the best Asian team for some time. Prediction for next season: top 10 easily. Mexico (13th): Mexico started the season in Chengdu, or rather, they started the season at New Zealand with Salvador Duran back in the seat. From that moment on, Mexico stopped being a backrunner and started to be a frontrunner again. This culminates to a podium in the sprintrace at Brands Hatch and solid points in the feature race. Prediction for next season: could be back to top 10 form. Monaco (9th): The confirmation of A1 Team Monaco came as a welcome surprise to us all. The unveiling was done in style at the Casino, and from the first tests onwards, it was clear that A1 Team Monaco was a team to reckon with. And they did not disappoint thusfar, claiming one pole and a podium. Next stops: fast lap and a race win J Prediction for next season: Top ten material. Netherlands (4th): The orange squad once again made it into the top 10 but this time with a difference. In previous seasons the tended to be slightly off the pace, but in season 4 they were setting the pace together with team Ireland. Both Robert Doornbos aswel as Jeroen Bleekemolen were able to win a race, and both could and should have gotten more if just plain dumb luck didn’t stop them in their tracks. Prediction for next season: Fighting for the title, top 5. New Zealand (7th): New Zealand is another country that started the season really well at Zandvoort. Sadly it was their only true moment of glory this season. They had two new drivers who both did well in rookie sessions in previous seasons, but are somehow a tad too light to carry the torch of Kiwi racing. One can argue that Bamber is still young and can/ will grow, but let’s be honest: we all expected a bit more from Chris van der Drift. Fighting for p12 is not what the Black Beauty should do.. They can do better than that. Prediction for next season: in it’s current form: just outside the top 10. Pakistan (23rd): “We’re all really positive about the season ahead, we have a good technical team and we’ve put a lot of work into restructuring the team. I’ve been training hard and I’ve been racing during the summer to keep race fit ahead of the new season. We are determined to finish further up the field this year, for the pride of Pakistan.” concludes Khan on October 1st. He never started a race this season in spite of many promises Prediction for next season: stay at home and hand the franchise to someone who will drive. Portugal (3rd): Portugal made the switch from João Urbano to Filipe Albuquerque during season 3 and the change was immideately appearent. Albuquerque was much faster and stable, and it was a no brainer to keep him for season 4. And so they did. He claimed their first win, and 2 fast laps, and a whopping total of 13 top ten finishes out of 14 races. Normally the stuff for champions, but alas, he had the bad luck that 2 teams were better this season. Prediction for next season: Fighting for the title, top 5 Look out for the final installment of the series coming soon! |
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A1GP -
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Sunday, 28 June 2009 15:58 |
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12 years ago, under a Labour Administration, the Malta Development Corporation – now Malta Enterprise – identified a site which, in its opinion, was suitable for a motor racing circuit. It is not known if this piece of land is still available. If in the affirmative, it is strange that the Labour electoral manifesto of a little more than a year ago made no mention of such a racing circuit possibility – instead of a karting track in Gozo! (section 4.10, p. 63).
Hunters are not the only lobby that could make a difference in an election. All other things being equal, 2,000 or more motor sports followers could have tipped the balance one way or the other in March of last year.
It is difficult for Malta to host a Formula 1 race. In the UK, developers compete against each other to host Formula 1, and Donington Park is currently undergoing a massive re-development plan to host the British Grand Prix for the next 10 years from 2010, away from Silverstone circuit!
However, there is a fairly new form of international single-seater racing with which Malta could associate its name. This is the World Cup of Motorsport. Each race weekend, a sprint race and a feature race are held on a Sunday, on the basis of which national teams score points.
In this series, two drivers represent their country, and all the cars are powered by a 4.5 litre Ferrari V8 engine producing 600 bhp. So it is a level playing field. Incidentally, John Martin is one of the drivers of the Australian A1 GP team. A few years back we had a very successful Maltese driver bearing the same name!
23 countries
At present there are 23 countries taking part in the World Cup of Motorsport – Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
There is no Drivers’ championship in this series. All points are awarded to national A1 teams. It is the country that competes for the A1 GP World Cup of Motorsport title. Considering the successful results achieved by Maltese drivers in hill climbs in Sicily, there is no reason why Maltese drivers should not give a good account of themselves in circuit racing if they are professionally trained and get an adequate amount of racing experience.
The World Cup of Motorsport seems to be the ideal motor racing series for our country at present. We need to do two things. First of all we need to assist our most talented drivers to get the best possible racing education available.
This could be done by sponsoring a couple of our drivers to an international racing drivers’ school. Several years ago I went to Jim Russell’s International Racing Drivers’ School at Snetterton Circuit, and the Motor Racing Stables in Brands Hatch, both of them in the UK. The former school has moved, and Brands Hatch, together with other UK circuits, is now under new management.
Brands Hatch has hosted the final round of the 2008/2009 A1GP on May 3. MotorSport Vision runs the so-called RaceMaster at Brands Hatch. It is not a full-scale racing drivers’ course, but driving round the circuit in a 4-litre V8 BMW M3 for 15 minutes, and in a Formula Brands single-seater for another 15 minutes in a 2-hour programme is a good start. There are more expensive day-long programmes such as the one offered by former Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer of PalmerSport at the Bedford Autodrome.
Ireland – Adam Carroll
Ireland has won the 2008/2009 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport Title thanks to Adam Carroll. It appears that the Mondello Park Motor Racing School has a good educational programme. Perhaps Mazda could part sponsor a Maltese driver to follow a course in Mondello Park, County Kildare, Ireland.
Local clubs and associations such as the Island Car Club and the ASM could cover part of the expenses of a course at a racing drivers’ school as part of a championship award. The Malta Motorsport Federation and the Malta Sports Council could similarly offer part-sponsorship or scholarships to promising Maltese drivers.
Ideally, Malta should have its own racing circuit. All the major political parties have promised a racing circuit over the past 40 years, at some time or another, including some political parties that do not exist any more. In fact, one of the first political parties to promise a racing circuit was the Christian Workers Party led by the late Toni Pellegrini in the mid-sixties.
A racing circuit could generate a year round business activity as the Bedford Autodrome and Brands Hatch are currently doing. Hosting international races that could boost tourism income would be an added advantage.
An international race attracting foreign teams with their cars and drivers would be highly lucrative for our hospitality industry – more than other form of sport, and during the year a number of these races could be held for different categories of racing.
If and when we shall have a serious racing circuit it will be the time for Malta to seek to host one of the qualifying events of the World Cup of Motorsport. Snetterton Circuit is currently undergoing a 15 million pound sterling major re-development plan for a state-of-the-art motorsport business park. If this can succeed in the midst of several other racing circuits in the UK, is it not clear that we are missing the boat in this business and sporting sector?
[source: Malta Independent] |
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A1GP -
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Saturday, 27 June 2009 15:25 |
 Days after A1GP Chairman Tony Teixeira revealed that A1GP had a 10-event calendar for Season Five approved by the FIA, the first three of those dates have been revealed on the FIA's official International Series calendar.
The calendar features the following dates:
25/10/09 Australia - Gold Coast 300
15/11/09 Indonesia - Lippo Village (subject to the homologation of the circuit)
06/12/09 Malaysia - Sepang
At the moment, these would appear to be the first three rounds of the 2009-10 season, with the remaining seven rounds taking place in the calendar year 2010.
But, with Teixeira commenting that he is "hopeful of adding one or two more dates in the coming months", these may not be the only three dates remaining in the calendar year 2009.
New Zealand's Hampton Downs is strongly rumoured to be holding a race, expected to be around the same time as the Gold Coast season opener, while it was also announced several months ago by Autosport magazine that two events will take place in China, one of which may perhaps take place in the first half of the season. |
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Formula One -
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Sunday, 21 June 2009 13:40 |
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Sebastian Vettel claimed his first dry weather Formula 1 victory as Red Bull ended Jenson Button's run of success with a crushing one-two in the British Grand Prix. As Button was only able to finish sixth, Vettel's victory ahead of his team-mate Mark Webber and Button's Brawn stablemate Rubens Barrichello hinted that this year's world championship might not be entirely settled yet. Red Bull had looked unstoppable from the start of Friday practice, and that dominance did not relent in the race. Vettel put recent shaky performances firmly behind him by controlling the grand prix from the outset - striding away from his heavier rivals at a staggering rate in the first stint. Consistently one second per lap quicker, he was 20 seconds clear of the closely-matched Barrichello and Webber by the first stops. While Vettel cruised to his third career win, Webber completed Red Bull's perfect day by squeezing ahead of Barrichello as he emerged from his first pitstop, which he made a lap later than the Brazilian. Barrichello then dropped away from the Red Bulls, and came under pressure from the lighter Nico Rosberg (Williams) and Felipe Massa (Ferrari), although this threat faded when Barrichello ran longer before his last stop and duly secured the final podium spot. Massa drove a fine race to come through from 11th on the grid to fourth, joining the podium fight thanks to a very long first stint and then jumping ahead of Rosberg in the second pit sequence. Button was never a factor in his home race. Boxed in behind the slow-starting Jarno Trulli off the line, he completed the first lap in eighth and stayed there for most of the afternoon. Only by running longer at his last stop was he able to jump ahead of the Toyota and Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari. Finally at the end of the race Button found the pace he had been lacking and started closing on Rosberg, but to no avail. The result means that Button now leads Barrichello by 23 points and Vettel by 25. Raikkonen just held off Timo Glock's Toyota for the last point, with Giancarlo Fisichella on their tails after Force India's most competitive performance to date. The Italian veteran made a good start, slipped past Fernando Alonso and Robert Kubica when they ran wide at Stowe while battling with each other, then latched on to the top ten pack for the rest of the race. Kazuki Nakajima ran a strong fourth in the opening laps, but relatively early pitstops cost him dear. He lost several places in each pit sequence and eventually finished a lowly 11th. Fernando Alonso had a miserable race to 13th, losing ground on the first lap then spending the first stint trapped behind Nick Heidfeld's extremely slow BMW, which was dropping up to 3s a lap to those ahead due to front wing damage. Last year's winner Lewis Hamilton could only finish 16th, having had spirited battles with Alonso and a quick spin under braking for Club along the way. Sebastien Bourdais and Heikki Kovalainen were the only retirements. The Finn emerged from his sole stop right ahead of team-mate Hamilton and allowed the Briton through at Stowe. Bourdais tried to follow into Club, and contact was made as Kovalainen defended, breaking the Toro Rosso's wing and giving the McLaren a puncture. Both dropped out for good soon afterwards. |
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Results -
Formula 1
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Saturday, 20 June 2009 10:15 |
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:18.899 20 2. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:19.102 + 0.203 19 3. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:19.125 + 0.226 15 4. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:19.371 + 0.472 15 5. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:19.596 + 0.697 19 6. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:19.855 + 0.956 13 7. Glock Toyota (B) 1:19.868 + 0.969 19 8. Alonso Renault (B) 1:19.917 + 1.018 14 9. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:19.946 + 1.047 15 10. Barrichello Brawn GP-Mercedes (B) 1:20.028 + 1.129 14 11. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:20.048 + 1.149 16 12. Button Brawn GP-Mercedes (B) 1:20.157 + 1.258 17 13. Piquet Renault (B) 1:20.232 + 1.333 18 14. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:20.459 + 1.560 17 15. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:20.548 + 1.649 15 16. Fisichella Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:20.572 + 1.673 17 17. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:20.638 + 1.739 18 18. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:20.696 + 1.797 20 19. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:21.024 + 2.125 11 20. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:21.039 + 2.140 13 All timing unofficial |
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Formula One -
News
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Saturday, 20 June 2009 10:13 |
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Nico Rosberg set the practice pace yet again in the Saturday morning session at Silverstone, this time leading his team-mate Kazuki Nakajima in a Williams one-two. Their late surge pushed Jarno Trulli back to third, with yesterday's pace-setter Sebastian Vettel fourth for Red Bull. Jenson Button's low-key weekend continued as the championship leader managed only 12th position, one place behind fellow home driver Lewis Hamilton's McLaren. With the track damp at the beginning of the session following early rain, it was a long time before anyone came out for a serious run. Renault's Nelson Piquet proved the track was ready for slicks after 23 minutes, and from then on the times tumbled and the positions changed at a frenetic rate as the circuit conditions improved with every minute. Rosberg took several turns on top as he repeatedly grabbed first position back again after being usurped, with his team-mate Nakajima, both Toyotas, Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais and both Red Bulls also featuring in first place at times before the soft tyre qualifying simulation runs began on the now bone dry track with ten minutes to go. It was Felipe Massa (Ferrari) who was first to beat Vettel's hard tyre benchmark, despite running wide out of Woodcote. The Ferrari then dropped from first to fourth in a matter of seconds as Trulli and the two Williams jumped into the top three positions. Both Rosberg and Nakajima had time for second flying laps too, and for a few moments it looked like the Japanese driver might emerge fastest from a Formula 1 practice session for the first time as he pushed Trulli off the top spot. But Rosberg was on a typical last minute charge, and he duly beat his team-mate by 0.203s. Behind Trulli and Vettel, the two Ferraris completed the top six, ahead of Timo Glock, who escaped a wild trip across the grass at Becketts late in the session. Fernando Alonso was eighth for Renault, ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber and Rubens Barrichello in the quicker of the two Brawns. Force India did not maintain its top three form from Friday, but both Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella managed to beat the BMWs, Sebastien Buemi and McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen. |
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