A1 Grand Prix
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The official logo of A1 Grand Prix |
A1 Grand Prix (often abbreviated
A1GP) 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
A1 Grands Prix of Nations) are held in the traditional Formula One off season, the northern hemisphere winter.
[What is A1 Grand Prix? A1GP official website]The nation-based A1 Grand Prix concept was forwarded 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.
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. At the conclusion of the season,
A1 Team France were crowned the first-ever A1 Grand Prix world champions.
The A1 Grand Prix formula is 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.
A1 Grands Prix of Nations take place over a three-day period, from Friday to Sunday. Two one-hour practice sessions are held on the Friday, and 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 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.
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 less than
50 kilometres; however, if the race duration passes 20 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. The finishing order for the sprint race determines the grid for the later Main Race, and where drivers are unclassified due to failing to finish the sprint race, they are sorted on the grid by distance completed.
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. It begins with a
standing start, and is limited (in the same fashion as the Sprint Race) to around
160 kilometres or 70 minutes (up from 60 minutes in the 2005-06 season). Each team must, in the duration of the 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, although refuelling is not permitted. Drivers are permitted eight uses of the overtake button in the Main Race.
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.
For news directly concerning the upcoming season, see the main article at 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix season.A number of changes have been made for the 2006-07 season regarding race timings and distances, in a hope of improving the spectacle for attendees and TV viewers.
["A1 Grand Prix makes plans for the 2006-07 season", A1GP official website, June 14, 2006.] A provisional schedule for the second season has been released, with the first race at
Circuit Park Zandvoort on
1 October,
2006, and the last race at Brands Hatch on
29 April,
2007.
["A1 Grand Prix's 2006/07 Provisional Calendar", A1GP official website, July 7, 2006.] There has been no confirmation of which national teams will take to the grid for the upcoming season, but a consortium representing
Singapore intends to make an entry.
["Singapore to field team for A1 Grand Prix", Channel News Asia, August 5, 2006]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,
["A1GP's First Season Loss over $200 Million", Speed Channel website, June 6, 2006] 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.
["London financial institutions back A1 Grand Prix" A1GP official website, May 25, 2006]
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A1 Grand Prix official website
