A1 Grand Prix
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| A1 Grand Prix | |
|---|---|
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| Sport | Auto racing |
| Founded | 2005 |
| No. of teams | 23 |
| Country | Worldwide |
| Current champions |  France |
A1GP (formerly A1 Grand Prix) is an open-wheel auto racing series. It is unique in its field in that competitors represent their nation as opposed to a constructor, which is traditional in most formula racing series including Formula One. As such, it is often promoted as the World Cup of Motorsport. The series is ratified and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and races (collectively known as A1GP World Cup of Motorsport) are held in the traditional Formula One off season, the northern hemisphere winter.[1]
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[edit] History
The nation-based A1GP concept was founded by Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum of Dubai, initially in 2004. 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. 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.
[edit] First season
In total, twenty-five of the franchises were purchased in time for the 2005-06 A1 Grand Prix season, which began on September 25, 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 Angelo Piquet won the inaugural race of the series for A1 Team Brazil. However, their winning form was not to continue. Wins at Estoril 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. [2]
[edit] 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.[3] The 2006-07 schedule was released on July 7, 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 will compete in the final four rounds of the second season in South Africa, Mexico, China and Britain.
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.[4][5]
| Team | 2005-06 A1 Grand Prix season | 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix season |
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 A1 Team South Africa |
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 A1 Team Germany |
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 A1 Team Australia |
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 A1 Team Austria |
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 A1 Team Brazil |
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 A1 Team Canada |
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 A1 Team China |
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 A1 Team Singapore |
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 A1 Team USA |
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 A1 Team France |
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 A1 Team Great Britain |
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 A1 Team Greece |
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 A1 Team The Netherlands |
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 A1 Team India |
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 A1 Team Indonesia |
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 A1 Team Ireland |
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 A1 Team Italy |
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 A1 Team Japan |
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 A1 Team Lebanon |
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 A1 Team Malaysia |
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 A1 Team Mexico |
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 A1 Team New Zealand |
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 A1 Team Pakistan |
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 A1 Team Portugal |
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 A1 Team Czech Republic |
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 A1 Team Switzerland |
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 A1 Team Turkey |
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[edit] Formula
The A1GP formula provides for one car to be delivered to each team. Each such 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 it is hoped driver skill and team effort becomes the primary factor for success.
Specifically, the cars have a 600kg monocoque chassis designed by Lola and model-370/660R13 slick tires from Cooper. Zytek provide a performance-limited 3.4 litre V8 engine, however its performance limitation can be overcome by the driver pressing a button on their steering wheel. This so-called boost button or overtake button increases the engine output, revs and horsepower while the accelerator remains depressed, increasing speed and facilitating easier overtaking. The overtake button may only be used a limited number of times in each race, which is pre-programmed beforehand and identical for each car.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 the first of Sunday's races, the Sprint Race. The qualifying period is split into four, fifteen-minute sessions. Each car is permitted three laps per session; excluding the laps required for leaving the pits, and for re-entering it, this allows one lap to set a competitive time. There is a ten minute break between sessions, which adds up to a total of 90 minutes for qualifying. When the fourth and final session is complete, the grid for the Sprint Race is determined using the aggregate of the best two lap times set by each car. 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.
[edit] Sprint Race
The Sprint Race uses the grid determined in the previous day's qualifying session, and is held in the early afternoon. The race begins from a rolling start, and its duration is the maximum number of laps that equates to a race distance of about 50 kilometres; however, if the race duration passes 25 minutes (perhaps due to safety car periods or slower lap times due to inclement weather) the race ends immediately on the next lap. These figures were 75 kilometres and 30 minutes respectively for the 2005-06 season, but have since been reduced. Drivers are restricted to four uses of the overtake button in the Sprint Race.
[edit] Main Race
The Main Race, sometimes known as the Feature Race, is scheduled for a number of hours later; this period has been recently increased to allow additional setup time and to allow decisions by stewards to be completed (and punishments, where necessary, to be dealt) ahead of the Main Race. At the start of the 2006 season, the grid for the main race was determined by the results of the Sprint Race – each team's sprint race grid position, finishing position and fastest lap ranking were given points (1 point for first, 2 points for second, and so on), and the three were added: the driver with the lowest points total began the Main Race on pole position with the remaining drivers on the grid in ascending points order. However this system was deemed too confusing for spectators at the circuit, so following the 2006-7 China event the series reverted to a simpler qualifying system for the Main Race: Drivers are placed on the grid in the same order as they finished the Sprint Race, with 1st in pole position. The race begins with a standing start, and is limited (in the same fashion as the Sprint Race) to around 180 kilometres or 70 minutes, whichever is shorter. Drivers are permitted eight uses of the overtake button in the Main Race.
[edit] Pit stop
Each team must, in the duration of the Main Race (but not on the first or last lap), complete a compulsory pit stop, in which all four tires on the car must be changed. Only four mechanics may service the car during the stop, none of which (save the so-called "lollipop man" that directs the car into its pit) may be present 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.
There is no requirement for a pit stop during the Sprint Race.
[edit] 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.
The Sprint Race awards points for the top six positions, in decreasing order: 6 for the winner, 5 for second place, and so on with 4, 3, 2, and one point for sixth place. The Main Race awards points in the same order, but for the first ten places, counting from ten for the winner to one for tenth place. In the 2005-06 season, the Sprint Race had awarded points at the same values as the Main Race, but have since been reduced to their current level. In addition, one point is awarded to the team that sets the fastest single lap time in either the Sprint or Main Race.
[edit] Future
The long-term future of the series has however been questioned, with concerns over its ongoing financial viability and the continued input of existing backers. Executive director Tony Teixeira reported a USD 212 million loss for the initial season,[6] with A1GP officials announcing a debt financing initiative and an initial public offering backed by the Nomura Group and RAB Capital hoping to finance both the initial debt and the 2005-06 season loss.[7]
The recent addition of Scott Hollingsworth, former CEO of AMA ProMotorsports, to the A1GP management team, offers promise to the potentially clouded future of the series. Hollingsworth put AMA ProMotor Sports on the map in recent years with the addition of major U.S. sponsors in all areas of motor cycling. "Moving Hollingsworth into the Global auto racing arena was a brilliant move for a circuit looking to raise capital and dig in their heels into the U.S. market."[citation needed]
The future of the series has also been clouded by the recent A1 Grand Prix of China. The street circuit used had a number of problems, including drain covers coming loose during practice, advertising banners falling onto the track and a hairpin bend that the cars could barely negotiate even in 1st gear and at full lock. There was barely any scope for overtaking and the Sprint Race took place virtually entirely behind the safety car after the local stewards struggled to recover a single spun car from the track.
Finally, the nation-based rather than team or driver-focussed nature of the series impacts upon driver continuity. In most racing series it is common for one or perhaps two drivers to compete for the entire season for a certain team. However in A1GP, drivers often have short or even one race contracts. This means that rookie drivers feature in almost every race, leading to frequent caution periods caused by basic driving errors due to inexperience of competing in such a series. By the end of the third race of the 2006-7 season a number of teams had already used three different drivers competitively and even more in practice sessions. As points are scored by nation rather than by driver the teams are not unduly hurt by so many driver changes (except for the aforementioned rookie mistakes).
[edit] References
- ^ What is A1 Grand Prix? A1GP official website
- ^ A1 Grand Prix results for 2005-06
- ^ "A1 Grand Prix makes plans for the 2006-07 season", A1GP official website, June 14, 2006.
- ^ "A1GP and Sheikh Maktoum bid farewell" A1GP official website, September 29, 2006
- ^ "Sheikh Maktoum Exits A1GP In Deal With RAB Capital" A1GP official website, December 10, 2006
- ^ "A1GP's First Season Loss over $200 Million", Speed Channel website, June 6, 2006
- ^ "London financial institutions back A1 Grand Prix" www.motorsport.com, May 25, 2006
[edit] External links
| A1 Grand Prix national teams | |
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| Australia • Brazil • Canada • China • Czech Republic • France • Great Britain • Greece • Germany • India • Indonesia • Ireland • Italy • Lebanon • Malaysia • Mexico • The Netherlands • New Zealand • Pakistan • Portugal • Singapore • South Africa • Switzerland • USA |
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| Defunct: Austria • Japan • Russia | Planned: Turkey |
