a1gp-neel-jani-zandvoort-a1-team-switzerland-lola-zytek-ferrari

On Sunday, Neel Jani will be starting sixth for the first race of the new A1GP season, the sprint race at Zandvoort (Netherlands). As expected, Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen will be on pole position.

Only 24 hours before qualifying, the Swiss team had to acknowledge that the preparation of the car, of which the chassis had only been delivered on Tuesday, couldn't be finished in time. To ensure that the season opener wouldn't have to take place without the defending champions, Pakistan refrained from its participation in The Netherlands and thankfully made its car available to be run by Switzerland.

"First of all, we are happy that we are allowed to be present here at all", said team principal Max Welti. "Taking into account that we hadn't completed one metre with the car prior to practice on Saturday, we can be happy with our achievement. Of course, the whole thing has cost us some nerves and required a lot of improvisation. In these circumstances, Neel and the team have done a very good job."

Neel Jani is also considering sixth place on the grid as a relatively good result from the one hour qualifying session, that for once only decided on the line-up for the sprint. The grid positions for the subsequent feature race at Zandvoort will be decided by the result of the sprint race. "Unfortunately, I had to abort my final attempt when the red flags were out", said the soon-to-be 25-year old driver from Berne. Qualifying was interrupted after an accident of Australian driver John Martin.

"I was quite fast in the second sector", said Jani. "After qualifying resumed, I couldn't do any better. In these conditions, the tyres are good for fast times for two laps at the most." As usual in the Dutch seaside resort of Zandvoort, 30 km from Amsterdam on the North Sea, there was a high wind which blew a lot of sand onto the track. Moreover, temperatures on Saturday didn't rise beyond twelve degrees.

What is the difference between the new Ferrari, designed by Ferrari, and the Lola-Zytek from the 2007/2008 season? "Driving the car was a completely new feeling. Everything is different, and everything is better. Above all, downforce is much more and as a result, we have more grip. However, my seating position on Saturday was still uncomfortable. For Sunday, we will have a new seat fitted. I am quite confident for the races."

The partnership with Ferrari, that was only agreed upon in October 2007, led to some delays in the delivery of the chassis, which is being built in the UK, and some parts from suppliers. Great Britain, Canada, Mexico and India didn't have their equipment ready for Zandvoort. Like Pakistan, they will be joining the action from the race in Chengdu (China) on the second weekend of November. Compared to last year, the Czech Republic and Germany are no longer there. New entries are Monaco and Korea.

Zandvoort (Ned). A1 Grand Prix (World Cup of Motorsports). Grid positions for the sprint: 1 Netherlands (Jeroen Bleekemolen) 1:24.213. 2 New Zealand (Earl Bamber) 0.316 seconds down. 3 Irleand (Adam Carroll) 0.338. 4 Malaysia (Fairuz Fauzy) 0.507. 6 Monaco (Clivio Piccione) 0.907. 6 Switzerland (Neel Jani) 1.311. 7 South-Africa (Adrian Zaugg) 1.715. 8 Italy (Fabio Onidi) 1.769. 9 USA (Charlie Kimball) 1.769. 10 Lebanon (Daniel Morad) 1.848. 11 France (Loïc Duval) 2.220. 12 Australia (John Martin) 2.347. 13 Portugal (Filipe Albuquerque) 7.369. 14 Indonesia (Satrio Hermanto) 7.568. 15 Korea (Jin Woo Hwang) 8.807. - No time: Brazil and Korea

Grid positions for the feature race according to the sprint race result.

- Michael Schneider - photo A1GP
More photos on automobilsport.com under PHOTOS - A1GP

After being the fastest, Mexico qualifies 8th for the first race on Sunday 22.11.08

Mexican A1GP team started Saturday's activities closing the practice sessions previous to the qualifying session, as the fastest among the 20 teams participating from different countries. Thus, the Mexican team demonstrated that it's working...

Grid positions 1 and 16 for A1 Team Switzerland in Malaysia 22.11.08

Off-track excursion and new rules setback for Neel Jani There were mixed feelings for A1 Team Switzerland after the qualifying sessions for the races at Sepang (Malaysia). Initially, Neel Jani claimed pole position for the sprint race, but had...

A1 Team Lebanon first top three qualifying spot in Malaysia 22.11.08

After over three years A1 Team Lebanon has finally scored its first top three qualifying spot, a fantastic achievement by the team’s new young driver for this season, Daniel Morad. This success came after a weekend of struggles for the team, so...

A1 Team Brazil - Sepang Qualifying Summary 22.11.08

2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Round 3 – Sepang, Malaysia The qualifying session for round three of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport took place today at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. A1 Team Brazil will line up on the...

Danny Watts on the front row for A1 Team GBR in Malaysia 22.11.08

A1 Team Great Britain will begin tomorrow’s Feature race in Sepang, Malaysia from the front row for round three of the 2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. A brand new element to A1GP qualifying proved to be the deciding factor today in...

A difficult start for A1 Team Switzerland at Sepang 22.11.08

Neel Jani second in practice in spite of clutch, engine and brake problems A1 Team Switzerland was faced with technical troubles at Sepang (Malaysia). An immediate clutch problem could be solved temporarily before practice started. Neel Jani...

A1 Team Brazil - Sepang Practice Summary 22.11.08

2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Round 3 – Sepang, Malaysia Free Practice 1a - Laps: 7 - Position: 9th - Fastest Lap: 1:54.126 (+3.030) Free Practice 1b - Laps: 2 - Position: 15th - Fastest Lap: 2:14.510 (+23.831) Free Practice 2 -...

A1 Team Lebanon endures hot and humid first daya on A1GP in Malaysia 22.11.08

The Sepang circuit near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia presented new challenges for A1 Team Lebanon with the technically demanding track, the heat and high humidity testing the driver and car on the opening day of the third round of the A1GP World Cup...

Danny Watts tops the timesheets for A1 Team Great Britain 22.11.08

... in official practice as third round of A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Sepang, Malaysia gets underway. A1 Team Great Britain made a good start to its preparations for the third round of the 2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport today, with...

A1 Team Switzerland eagerly looking forward to Malaysia race 20.11.08

The first podium of the season is the goal at Neel Jani's favourite circuit So far, the A1 Team Switzerland has missed out on a podium finish in the World Cup of Motorsport, even though it was only close on a few occasions. Nevertheless, the...

A1 Team Mexico Arrived to Malaysia... 20.11.08

... And Is Ready For Its Second Race Weekend of the Season A1 Grand Prix World Cup of Motorsport is getting ready for its third event of the 2008/09 season, which will take place on 21 - 23 November at Malaysia’s Sepang International...

A1 Team Malaysia Completes Shelter Outreach Project 18.11.08

Event: A1GP Sepang, Malaysia (Round 3 of 10) Ahead of round three of A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Sepang, Malaysia this weekend, the local team members put down their spanners, turned off their laptops and picked up paintbrushes for the A1...

Fired up Brazil head to Sepang for A1GP Malaysia 18.11.08

2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport – Round 3 – Sepang, Malaysia A fortnight after visiting Chengdu in China, the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport moves to Malaysia for the third round of the championship. The event will take place at the Sepang...

Danny Watts recalled by A1 Team GBR for Malaysia 15.11.08

Following Danny Watts’ double podium finish on his debut in China, he will race for A1 Team Great Britain in Sepang, Malaysia, next week After scoring a crucial 16 points in Chengdu, China on Sunday, A1 Team Great Britain is now looking ahead...

Good start to A1GP for Alexandre Imperatori 09.11.08

Alexandre has shown speed on his first outing in the new A1GP car, powered by Ferrari at Chengdu for round 2 of the 2008/2009 season. The chinese city of Chengdu in Sichuan province held the second round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. It...

Schweiz mit Neel Jani zweimal knapp am Podest vorbei 09.11.08

Neel Jani fuhr für das A1 Team Switzerland in Chengdu (China) sowohl im Sprint als auch im Hauptrennen auf den 4. Platz. Die Mannschaft von Max Welti zeigte grundsolide Leistungen. Im Sprintrennen büsste Neel Jani beim Start eine Position ein...

A1 Team Brazil - Chengdu Race Summary 09.11.08

2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Round 2 - Chengdu, China A promising performance from Felipe Guimarães for A1 Team Brazil turned to disappointment as the team suffered from technical problems in both races at the Chengdu Circuit in...

Solid performance for Lebanon in A1GP China 09.11.08

A1 Team Lebanon completed a strong weekend of racing in Chengdu, China, at a technically demanding track, with Daniel Morad racing in only his second A1GP event. Lining up 13th for both the Sprint and Feature races and finishing 12th in the...

Danny Watts storms to pole for A1 Team GBR in Chengdu 08.11.08

On his debut for A1 Team GBR, Danny Watts has secured pole position for tomorrow’s Feature race in Chengdu, China, round two of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. A1 Team Great Britain’s Danny Watts will line up on pole position for tomorrow’s...

Solid qualifying performance for A1 Team Lebanon in China 08.11.08

A1 Team Lebanon continued with race preparations for the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport races in Chengdu, China today. This morning all the teams took to the track for the final one hour practice session before this afternoon’s qualifying session...

Zweimal zweite Startreihe in China für A1 Team Schweiz 08.11.08

Das A1 Team Schweiz steht mit Neel Jani vor den beiden A1GP Rennen in Chengdu (China) jeweils in der zweiten Startreihe. Den Sprint nimmt er aus Position 3 in Angriff, das folgende Hauptrennen von Platz 4 aus. Für die beiden Läufe pro...

A1 Team Brazil - Chengdu Qualifying Summary 08.11.08

A1 Team Brazil will begin tomorrow’s Sprint race from the sixth row and the Feature row on the fifth row after Felipe Guimarães qualified in 12th and tenth places respectively at the Chengdu International Circuit in China for round two of the...

A1 Team Lebanon takes to the Chinese track 07.11.08

A1 Team Lebanon resumed their campaign of racing in the fourth season of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Chengdu, China today. Driver Daniel Morad returned to the cockpit of the new A1GP Powered by Ferrari car, aiming to build on the momentum...

Gelungener Einstand des Schweizer A1-Teams in China 07.11.08

Neel Jani Schnellster im ersten Training Im ersten Training zum Nationen-Weltcup des Motorsports in Chengdu (China) hat die Schweiz mit Neel Jani die beste Rundenzeit erreicht. Im Gegensatz zu einigen andern Fahrern brachte der Berner sein Auto...

A1 Team Brazil - Chengdu Practice Summary 07.11.08

2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Round 2 - Chengdu, China Free Practice 1a - Laps: 13 - Position: 4th - Fastest Lap: 1:18.625 (+0.691) Free Practice 1b - Laps: 17 - Position: 4th - Fastest Lap: 1:17.310 (+0.600) Free Practice 2 - Laps: 20...

[:: previous ] [ next ::]