2008–09 A1 Grand Prix season
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The 2008-09 A1 Grand Prix season was the fourth season in its short history. It was announced that Ferrari will be supplying the engines. All cars and official merchandise are contractually obligated to portray the slogan "Powered by Ferrari".
Ferrari will have an advisory role when it comes to chassis production, meaning that Ferrari themselves will not supply the chassis. The chassis will be based on Ferrari's championship-winning F2004.
A1 Team Ireland became the fourth A1 Grand Prix champions, after a title battle which went down to the final round in Great Britain. Ireland won with 112 points, beating A1 Team Switzerland with 95 points, and A1 Team Portugal with 92 points.
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[edit] Teams
During the 2007-08 Shanghai race weekend, it was announced at an official ceremony that Korea would be participating in the 2008-09 season.[1]. Jung-Yong Kim of Omnibus Investment is the seat holder[citation needed], with Good EMG supporting the project. Carlin Motorsport will be the racing team.
On 29 August 2008, it was announced that A1 Team Monaco will be competing in season four. The joint seat holders will be Hubertus Bahlsen, and former F3 and GP2 driver Clivio Piccione - who will also be acting as the race driver.[2]
The 23 teams competing in the 2008-09 championship are:
(1) Were entered for the 2008-09 season but did not race. (2) Tested before the season but didn't participate in a single race.
[edit] New "Powered by Ferrari" car
On 11 October 2007, A1GP and Ferrari announced a six year collaboration on the new generation of A1GP cars. The new "Powered by Ferrari" car is a modification of the Formula 1 Ferrari F2004 chassis with a V8 Ferrari engine producing 600 bhp[34]. The car was officially revealed in Southern England, and driven for the first time by John Watson in an inaugural event in May 2007. Michelin will supply the tyres for the new car[35].
The car was developed and tested over more than 5600 kilometres at Mugello Circuit, Fiorano Circuit, Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Circuito Guadix, Silverstone Circuit, Donington Park, Circuit Paul Ricard and Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Andrea Bertolini was the main test driver, but testing was carried out by Marc Gene, Patrick Friesacher, Jonny Kane and Danny Watts during the sessions at Silverstone Circuit [36][37][38][39][40][41].
[edit] Off-season tests and car presentations
In August 2-3, 2008, the first press and public presentation of the A1GP Powered by Ferrari car was held on the TT Circuit Assen with former A1 Team Netherlands driver, Renger van der Zande[42]. Two weeks after, the car was presented in Rotterdam during the Bavaria City Racing Festival. The A1 Team Netherlands car was driven by Carlo van Dam[43].
This season, five tests days are planned to learn the new powered by Ferrari car[44].
| Date | Country | Circuit |
|---|---|---|
| 9-11 September 2008 |  United Kingdom |
Donington Park |
| 17-18 September 2008 |  Italy |
Mugello |
| 23-24 September 2008 | United Kingdom |
Snetterton[45] |
[edit] Rule Changes
A number of rules were changed for the 2008-09 season.[46]
- The four qualifying sessions were reduced in length from fifteen minutes to ten minutes each.
- Teams may now utilise a "joker" qualifying lap (from Malaysia onwards). In one of the four qualifying sessions the team may elect to utilise their joker - for the flying lap in that session, the driver is granted the availability of the PowerBoost button for the entire lap.[47]
- The Sprint Race has been increased from 19 minutes plus one lap, to 24 minutes plus one lap, as well as a mandatory pit-stop being added between laps four and eight, brought into effect starting in Malaysia.
- The Sprint Race now only scores the top eight positions: 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
- Only the best 8 race weekends will count towards the championship. Both the Sprint and Feature race points from one event will be dropped by teams that race all 9 events. This is to ensure that teams that will miss Zandvoort due to the lack of cars, will still have a fair chance at the title.[48]
An update to the sporting regulations means that technical details of the fastest lap in any session (practice or qualifying) will be made available to all teams after the session ends.[49] This is to allow slower or weaker teams to learn how they can improve their own lap times, making the "field spread" that much smaller.
Several detailed changes to the Friday "rookie sessions" were released on 1 September 2008:[50]
- The age limit for rookie drivers (driver had to be younger than 25), has been abolished.
- Drivers who have competed in Formula 1, GP2, the IndyCar Series, Formula Nippon, or the former Champ Car World Series cannot participate in the rookie session.
- Total track time is increased from 50 minutes to an hour.
- The gap between the two half sessions is increased from 10 to 20 minutes.
[edit] Season calendar
The season started at the Circuit Park Zandvoort, Netherlands on 5 October 2008.
Further timetable details were announced on 9 June 2008.[51]
On 21 August 2008, the Italy race at Mugello was moved back following a delay in the build schedule of the new chassis, and Zandvoort was named as the first race of the season.[52] A replacement date has yet to be announced.[53]
Further timetable changes were announced on 26 August 2008. The Chinese round was confirmed to be held at Chengdu Goldenport Circuit, and swapped places in the calendar with the Indonesian round at Jakarta.[54] Subsequent to that, the Indonesian race has been moved back further, to 8 February due to track construction.[54]
On 9 September 2008, Brands Hatch was confirmed as hosting the race in Great Britain at the end of the season. It was also announced that as a replacement date for the Mugello race could not be found, the race was removed from the season's schedule.[45]
According to a revised international FIA calendar issued on 19 December, the A1GP season finale is to be held at Interlagos on the weekend of 15-17 May 2009.[55]
Round 5 at Lippo Village, Indonesia was cancelled on January 16th due to the circuit missing a construction deadline, mainly caused by heavy rain season by then.[56] The Mexican round was also moved back by one week, so as to avoid clashing with a Radiohead concert, which is to take place in the baseball stadium inside the circuit at the original date.[57]
On February 17, 2009 A1GP Gauteng official preview reported that the Mexico City round was no longer took place on the weekend of March 20th-22nd and a replacement date was being sought. eTicket.com.mx advertised the event as it should take place on the weekend of the 22nd-24th May, and was confirmed on March 31, 2009, subject to the FIA-stipulated changes to the Peraltada corner.[58]
On the 5th of March, the proposed Interlagos race was removed from the circuit's official calendar, presumably signalling an end to A1GP's plans to run there.
On April 29, 2009, it was confirmed that the Mexican round was cancelled due to 2009 swine flu outbreak.[59]
| Round | Date | Country | Circuit | Sprint Winner | Feature Winner | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 October 2008 |  Netherlands |
Circuit Park Zandvoort |  Malaysia |
 France |
Report |
| 2 | 9 November 2008 |  China |
Chengdu International Circuit |  Ireland |
 Portugal |
Report |
| 3 | 23 November 2008 | Malaysia |
Sepang International Circuit |  Switzerland |
Ireland |
Report |
| 4 | 25 January 2009 |  New Zealand |
Taupo Motorsport Park | Ireland |
Switzerland |
Report |
| 5 | 22 February 2009 |  South Africa |
Kyalami[60] | Netherlands |
Switzerland |
Report |
| 6 | 12 April 2009 | Portugal |
Autódromo Internacional do Algarve | Netherlands |
Switzerland |
Report |
| 7 | 3 May 2009 |  Great Britain |
Brands Hatch | Ireland |
Ireland |
Report |
[edit] Standings
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[edit] References
- ^ "Korea joins A1GP". a1gp.com. 2008-04-14. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=41284.
- ^ a b "A1 Team Monaco joins A1GP". a1gp.com. 2008-08-29. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=41954. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
- ^ "2008/09, Chengdu, China, Rookies combined". a1gp.com. 2008-11-7. http://www.forix.com/a1gp/gp.php?l=0&d=201&r=20082103&c=0. Retrieved on 2008-11-7.
- ^ "2008/09, Sepang, Malaysia, Rookies combined". a1gp.com. 2008-11-21. http://www.forix.com/a1gp/gp.php?l=0&d=201&r=20082105&c=25. Retrieved on 2008-11-21.
- ^ "2008/09, Taupo, New Zealand, Rookies combined". autosport.com. 2009-01-23. http://www.forix.com/a1gp/gp.php?l=0&d=201&r=20082107&c=25. Retrieved on 2009-01-23.
- ^ "2008/09, Kyalami, South Africa, Rookies". a1gp.com. 2009-02-20. http://www.forix.com/a1gp/gp.php?l=0&d=201&r=20082109&c=123. Retrieved on 2009-02-21.
- ^ "2008/09, Algarve, Portugal, Rookies combined". a1gp.com. 2009-04-10. Archived from the original on 2009-06-10. http://www.webcitation.org/5hRVWZidM. Retrieved on 2009-04-13.
- ^ Index alandockingracing.com
- ^ [1] A1GP Press
- ^ [2] A1GP Press
- ^ [3] team-astromega.com
- ^ [4] A1GP Press
- ^ [5] A1GP.com
- ^ [6] A1GP Press
- ^ [7] A1GP Press
- ^ The new A1 Team Indonesia... performance-racing.se
- ^ [8] A1GP Press
- ^ [9] A1GP Press
- ^ a b "Italy launches new car". a1gp.com. 2008-10-02. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=42133. Retrieved on 2008-10-02.
- ^ Carlin to run Team South Korea car autosport.com (August 13, 2008)
- ^ [10] A1GP Press
- ^ [11] A1GP Press
- ^ [12] Paddock Talk
- ^ [13] A1GP Press
- ^ "A1 Team Monaco launches in style". a1gp.com. 2008-09-25. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=31923. Retrieved on 2008-09-25.
- ^ [14] A1GP Nieuw tijdperk Racing Team Holland
- ^ [15] A1GP Press
- ^ [16] A1GP Fanzone
- ^ "Khan to lead and race for Pakistan". a1gp.com. 2008-09-10. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=41988. Retrieved on 2008-09-10.
- ^ [17] A1GP Press
- ^ [18] A1GP Press
- ^ [19] A1GP Press
- ^ a b "Andretti Green Racing to run USA". a1gp.com. 2008-10-01. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=42128. Retrieved on 2008-10-02.
- ^ The new A1GP car a1gp.com (May 12, 2008 )
- ^ Michelin to supply A1GP a1gp.com (July 21, 2008)
- ^ New car gets first run out a1gp.com (May 27, 2008)
- ^ New car continues test programme a1gp.com (June 13, 2008 )
- ^ New car hits half season distance a1gp.com (July 07, 2008 )
- ^ Engine coverage a1gp.com (July 14, 2008 )
- ^ Wind tunnel testing for new car a1gp.com (August 01, 2008)
- ^ Faster than ever before a1gp.com (August 22, 2008 )
- ^ Assen gets a taste of new A1GP car a1gp.com (August 04, 2008 )
- ^ Dutch delight a1gp.com (August 19, 2008 )
- ^ Two major test sessions planned a1gp.com (June 09, 2008)
- ^ a b "The battle of the Brands". a1gp.com. 2008-09-08. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=41979. Retrieved on 2008-09-09.
- ^ a1gp.com. "Rule changes for new season". http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=41852. Retrieved on 2008-08-11.
- ^ "Teams to get joker qualifying lap". a1gp.com. 2008-11-21. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=42564. Retrieved on 2008-11-21.
- ^ "New points system for 2008/09". a1gp.com. 2008-09-29. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=41949. Retrieved on 2008-09-29.
- ^ a1gp.com. "The truth will out". http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=41879. Retrieved on 2008-08-20.
- ^ "Fortune Rookies". a1gp.com. 2008-09-01. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=41942. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
- ^ "2008/09 schedule announced". a1gp.com. 2008-06-08. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=39734. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.
- ^ "A1GP delays start of Season Four". a1gp.com. 2008-08-21. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=41882. Retrieved on 2008-08-21.
- ^ http://www.a1gp.com/Circuit/circuitInfo.aspx
- ^ a b "Chengdu race announced". a1gp.com. 2008-08-26. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=41897. Retrieved on 2008-08-26.
- ^ [20][dead link]
- ^ "Lippo circuit fails build deadline". a1gp.com. 2009-01-16. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=30511. Retrieved on 2009-01-18.
- ^ "A1GP Mexico City date change". a1gp.com. 2009-01-16. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=42804. Retrieved on 2009-01-18.
- ^ "Mexico City to conclude A1GP season". autosport.com. 2009-03-31. Archived from the original on 2009-06-02. http://www.webcitation.org/5hFCxrUQT. Retrieved on 2009-03-31.
- ^ "A1GP Mexico City cancelled". a1gp.com. 2009-04-29. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=41574. Retrieved on 2009-04-29.
- ^ "Gauteng to host A1GP". a1gp.com. 2008-07-21. http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=41771. Retrieved on 2008-07-21.
[edit] External links
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