A1 Grand Prix
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A1 Grand Prix (A1GP) is a 'single make' open-wheel auto racing series. It is unique in its field in that competitors represent their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, the usual format in most formula racing series. As such, it is often promoted as the "World Cup of Motorsport". The series is ratified by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and races (collectively known as the "A1GP World Cup of Motorsport") are held in the traditional Formula One off season, the northern hemisphere winter.[1]
History
The nation-based A1GP concept was founded by Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum of Dubai, initially in 2004.[2] Once the series had received the backing of the FIA in 2005, a management structure including new executive directors Brian Menell and Tony Teixeira was appointed to oversee the sale of franchises for the operation of international teams. Paul Cherry, formerly of the Champ Car Racing Team, Sigma Autosport, was later brought in as the General Franchise Manager in 2005.[3] AutosportRacing.com later received articles about Mr Cherry's job at A1 GP, and there were many quotes from many clients who work with A1 saying that they were "confused by what his job actually was". Thirty franchises were made available; twenty-three of them were restricted to specified nations, while the other seven were opened to tender for nations that had not been initially targeted.
First season
In total, twenty-five of the franchises were purchased in time for the 2005–06 A1 Grand Prix season, which began on 25 September 2005 with the A1 Grand Prix of Nations Great Britain at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, United Kingdom. The first season was planned for 12 rounds (24 races, with two each weekend); however the cancellation of a race scheduled for Curitiba, Brazil in January 2006 reduced this number to 11. Nelson Piquet, Jr. won the inaugural race of the series for A1 Team Brazil. However, their winning form was not to continue. Wins at Estoril and Malaysia saw A1 Team France build up a sizeable gap. By the start of the winter break, France had run away with the lead with A1 Team Switzerland 28 points behind. At the final race of the season in Shanghai, A1 Team France were crowned the first-ever A1 Grand Prix world champions with 172 points. Switzerland were second coming in 121 points and A1 Team Great Britain third with 97 points.[4]
Katherine Legge was the first woman to drive A1 Grand Prix cars during test session in December 2005 on Dubai Autodrome.[5]
Second season
A number of changes were made for the 2006–07 season to race durations and distances to improve the spectacle for attendees and TV viewers.[6] The 2006–07 schedule was released on 7 July 2006, with the first race at Circuit Park Zandvoort on 1 October 2006, and the last race at Brands Hatch on 29 April 2007. New teams A1 Team Singapore and A1 Team Greece have joined the competition but A1 Team Turkey failed to secure funding for this season. A1 Team Austria, A1 Team Japan, A1 Team Portugal and A1 Team Russia did not return for the second season. However after securing funding A1 Team Portugal competed in the final four rounds of the second season in South Africa, Mexico, China and Britain. A1 Team Germany won it with 128 points, 35 points lead ahead Team New Zealand.
On 29 September, Sheikh Maktoum announced he was resigning his position as chairman and chief executive of the series, seeking to have his place taken by increased shareholder interests.
I am happy that I have built the series with fans in mind. I feel like I have fulfilled my promise to them by bringing A1GP from concept to reality and am confident that the World Cup of Motorsport will go from strength to strength. Having devoted all my efforts to making A1GP the success it is today, this transaction will allow me to devote more time to my Dubai International Holding Company which currently manages a substantial portfolio of assets and new ventures and which continues to actively pursue other significant investment opportunities.
Maktoum announced his planned resignation in September and his exit from the organisation was confirmed in December.[7][8]
Third season
Fourth season
The 2008–09 season was the first season in which the new "Powered by Ferrari" A1GP car was used. Rule changes included shorter qualifying sessions, a pit-stop during the now longer Sprint Race, removal of limits on Friday test drivers, and reduced Sprint Race points scoring.[9]
Fifth season
Champions
Teams
Each of the A1 Grand Prix teams represent a nation. Drivers must have the same nationality as the team they drive for. The team car should also represent the country. The team owner, principal and crew, however, do not need to have the same nationality as the team.
Twenty-nine nations have, at least, started one race in A1GP - which are represented in the table below:
| Africa | Americas | Asia | Europe | Oceania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| bold represents an active team in the 2008–09 season | ||||
Drivers
Notable drivers
- Drivers who have also raced in Formula One
Sébastien Buemi (F1 in 2009)
Robert Doornbos (2005, 2006)
Ralph Firman (2003)
Patrick Friesacher (2005)
Narain Karthikeyan (2005)
Vitantonio Liuzzi (2006, 2007, 2009)
Franck Montagny (2006)
Nelson Piquet, Jr. (2008, 2009)
Scott Speed (2006, 2007)
Adrian Sutil (2007-2009)- Jos Verstappen (1994-2003)
Alex Yoong (2001, 2002)
Tomáš Enge (2001)
- Drivers who have also raced in the IndyCar Series
- Marco Andretti (IndyCar in 2006-2009)
Ryan Briscoe (2005-2009)- Robert Doornbos (2009)
- Tomáš Enge (2005)
- Ryan Hunter-Reay (2007-2009)
- Bruno Junqueira (2008)
Darren Manning (2004-2009)- Raphael Matos (2009)
- Vitor Meira (2002-2009)
- Franck Montagny (2009)
- Will Power (2008-2009)
Graham Rahal (2008, 2009)- Buddy Rice (2002-2008)
Tomas Scheckter (2002-2009)
Race weekend
A1 Grands Prix of Nations take place over a three-day period, from Friday to Sunday. The teams are given five sets of dry weather slick tires, and two sets of wet weather treaded tires per weekend. However, if the weather is extreme, the team can be given more wet weather tires at the expense of the slick tires. The race weekend starts with two one-hour practice sessions held on the Friday, and then another on the Saturday morning. A two-hour qualifying session takes place on Saturday afternoon, and two races take place on Sunday. Primarily, the three practice sessions are for car setup and track familiarisation before the official competition begins with Saturday qualifying. Three different drivers may participate in the three practice sessions; the driver elected for qualifying or for one of the races must have taken part in at least one such practice session.
Qualifying
A1 Grand Prix uses a unique qualifying format, which begins at 14:00 local time on the Saturday of the race weekend, to determine the grid lineup for Sunday's races, the Sprint Race and the Main Race. The qualifying period is split into four, ten-minute sessions.[9] Each car is permitted three laps per session; including the laps required for leaving the pits, and for re-entering it, this allows one lap to set a competitive time. There is a five minute break between sessions, which adds up to a total of 55 minutes for qualifying. The grid for the Sprint Race is set based on the car's fastest time from either the first or the second session. The grid for the Feature Race is determined the same way, but using sessions three and four. However, if there is a red flag due to an accident on the circuit, the timing to the end of qualifying will continue to run.
Sprint race
The Sprint Race uses the grid determined in sessions one and two of the previous day's qualifying session, and is held in the early afternoon. The race begins from a rolling start, and its duration is a maximum of 24 minutes plus one additional lap.[9] Additionally, each team must make one mandatory pit stop between laps four and eight.[9] Drivers are permitted four uses of PowerBoost during the Sprint Race.
| Pos. | Points | Prize | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint | Feature | Sprint | Feature | |
| 1 | 10 | 15 | $100,000 | $200,000 |
| 2 | 8 | 12 | $70,000 | $130,000 |
| 3 | 6 | 10 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
| 4 | 5 | 8 | $35,000 | $75,000 |
| 5 | 4 | 6 | $30,000 | $50,000 |
| 6 | 3 | 5 | $20,000 | $40,000 |
| 7 | 2 | 4 | $15,000 | $25,000 |
| 8 | 1 | 3 | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| 9 | 2 | $7,000 | $13,000 | |
| 10 | 1 | $3,000 | $7,000 | |
| Fast lap | 1 | 1 | ||
| Only the best 9 race weekends count[10] | ||||
Feature race
The Feature Race uses the grid determined in sessions three and four of the previous day's qualifying session, and is held mid-afternoon. The race begins from a standing start, and is a race of approximately 180 kilometres, with a maximum time limit of 69 minutes plus one lap. Teams must make two mandatory pit stops during the Feature Race, one between laps eight and sixteen, and another during a pit window, which is not announced until the first window has closed. Drivers are permitted eight uses of PowerBoost during the Feature Race.
Pit stop
Each team must complete three compulsory pit stops over the course of the race weekend - one during the Sprint Race, and two during the Feature Race.[9] During the pit stop, all four tires on the car must be changed. A total of 8 mechanics may be used during the stop, however, only 4 are allowed to 'touch the car'. None of which (save the so-called "lollipop man" that directs the car into its pit) may be present in the pit lane before the car comes to a complete halt. Refuelling is also not permitted; infringements of these rules or of the pit-lane speed limit result in the imposition of a drive-through penalty.
At the end of Season 3, A1GP released the results of the season's pit stop times. Although having never won a race, A1 Team Australia, had the fastest pit crew of all teams.[11]
Scoring
Unlike almost all other forms of auto racing, drivers do not score points individually; instead the points they earn are ascribed to their national team. This means that teams can change drivers between rounds, which is often necessary because some drivers have commitments in other formulae, and still accumulate points to their score.
Points are awarded for the first ten places but the amounts have changed: 15 for the winner, 12 for second place, 10 for third place, 8 for fourth place, 6 for fifth place, 5 for sixth place, and so on with 4, 3, 2, and one point for tenth place. Points are awarded in a different way for the Sprint Race: 10 for the winner, counting down 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point for eighth place.[9] In addition, one point is awarded to the team that sets the fastest single lap time in either the Sprint or Main Race. Cash prizes are also awarded.
Chassis and Engines
The A1GP formula provides a single "spec" car for each team. Each car is mechanically identical, built with many technical restrictions designed to limit performance, reduce running costs, and prevent any one or number of teams gaining an advantage through better equipment. This regulation provides a level playing field in which driver skill and team effort becomes the primary factor for success. Ferrari will be designing and manufacturing the cars through to 2014.
Specifically, the cars have a carbon fibre monocoque with an aluminium honeycomb core chassis based on the Formula One Ferrari F2004 chassis, riding on control slick tires from Michelin. The 4.5-litre Ferrari V8 engine is capable of delivering up to 600 brake horsepower (450 kW) in PowerBoost mode - a mechanism to provide short bursts of increased power to create additional overtaking opportunities and action throughout the race.
Future
Chairman Tony Teixeira announced that Italian manufacturer Ferrari will design and build the engines until 2014, and that Ferrari will also be involved in the design of the new chassis for both, however it will not be built by Ferrari.[12] Despite suggestions of a partnership, it was revealed that A1GP is a consumer-customer of Ferrari when Ferrari's parent Fiat sued to impound the new cars as A1GP owed it $2 million for them.[13]
The Ferrari involvement was intended to ease some of the concerns regarding A1GP's ongoing financial viability, the continued input of existing backers, and the platform's ability to attract sponsors. CEO Pete da Silva reported a $240 million loss for the initial season, and yet RAB Capital paid $200 million to the exiting Dubai founder for his 80% stake; A1GP subsequently failed to make profits or attract significant financing and sponsorship, all as reported in the Wall Street Journal in April 2007.[14] Before the 2008–09 "Powered by Ferrari" season was to begin, RAB Capital announced that its fund invested in A1GP had lost 48% of its value in one year's time, with most of this loss attributed to the A1GP investment that RAB had written down for a third time, this according to Bloomberg.[15] A1 Team Australia boss Alan Jones has since suggested that "it is common knowledge that Mr Teixeira bought RAB Capital out from A1GP" before the current season[16], yet A1GP prominently displays RAB Capital branding to this day.
The first franchisee of A1GP (A1 Team GBR) is also the first to become insolvent, and an administrator was appointed on March 25, 2009.[17]
A1 Grand Prix Operations Ltd., a subsidiary of A1 Holdings, went into liquidation in June 2009, after cash-flow problems meant the company, which is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the series, was unable to pay its suppliers.[18]
Broadcasters
Richard Dorfman is the A1GP's director of broadcasting. All broadcaster information is correct for the 2008–09 season.[19]
Controversy
2006 A1 Grand Prix Incident
The first Chinese round of the 2006–07 A1GP took place on the streets of Beijing. However, the tight hairpin at the end of the backstraight was far too tight for the cars to negotiate safely, as there was literally a 180 degree left turn. Cars were running wide and stopping mid corner, therefore the sessions were red flagged.
A shorter circuit was created, creating another less tight hairpin halfway up the straight, bypassing most of the old straight. This corner was still not ideal as drivers ran wide despite the corner being wider, and had to avoid the pitlane entry barrier. It had to suffice though, otherwise the race would have been cancelled.
However, another problem arose in qualifying, when manhole covers on the roads were coming undone due to the racing cars' high downforce and low ride height. Grid positions were decided based on practice times. Some advertising banners also came loose around the circuit.
It was announced the races would start behind the safety car, as the first corner was also deemed unsafe.
Both races were uneventful, particularly the Sprint Race which took place almost entirely behind the safety car after course officials failed to remove a single spun car in a timely fashion.
References
- ^ What is A1 Grand Prix? A1GP official website
- ^ A1GP History a1gp.com
- ^ A1GP Management a1gp.com
- ^ "A1 Grand Prix results for 2005-06".
- ^ Katherine Legge to Test A1GP racerchicks.com
- ^ "A1 Grand Prix makes plans for the 2006-07 season", A1GP official website, 14 June 2006.
- ^ "A1GP and Sheikh Maktoum bid farewell" A1GP official website, 29 September 2006
- ^ "Sheikh Maktoum Exits A1GP In Deal With RAB Capital" A1GP official website, 10 December 2006
- ^ a b c d e f a1gp.com. "Rule changes for new season". Retrieved 2008-08-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "New points system for 2008/09". a1gp.com. 2008-09-29. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- ^ a1gp.com. "Who were the pit stop kings?". Retrieved 2008-07-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Ferrari joins A1GP", A1GP official website, 11 October 2007
- ^ "...on last laps", Stuff.co.nz website, 18 January 2009
- ^ Spinning Their Wheels --- Lack of Sponsor Interest Plagues Hedge-Fund Bet On Racing's 'World Cup'", The Wall Street Journal 24 April 2007
- ^ "RAB Tries to Halt Redemptions After Loss on Racing Investment ", Bloomberg, 10 September 2008
- ^ "A1GP Boss Denies Financial woes", Goldcoast website, 17 november 2008
- ^ "Insolvency News", Insolvency News website, 25 March 2009
- ^ Harrington, Ben (2009-06-27). "British A1 Grand Prix arm stalls". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
- ^ "Where to watch A1GP this season". a1gp.com. 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- ^ Sky Sports and Five renew in GBR a1gp.com (26 August 2008 )
External links
- A1 Grand Prix official website a1gp.com