Feature race glory for Ireland
A1 Team Ireland became the first nation to score two victories this season, as Adam Carroll dominated the Sepang Feature race in Malaysia.
Filipe Albuquerque took an excellent second place for Portugal while Marco Andretti finished a great third for the USA from eighth on the grid. Ireland now leads the championship heading into the Christmas break.
As the lights went out, Adam Carroll got a clean start from pole position to lead the pack into the first corner. Daniel Morad got a brilliant start from third, capitalising on Lebanon’s best ever grid slot to move ahead of a slow starting Danny Watts for Great Britain in second.
In an eventful first lap, Netherlands and India collided with Narain Karthikeyan spinning into retirement. A good start from Portugal helped Albuquerque move from fifth to third into Turn 1, before Albuquerque moved ahead of Lebanon for second. Switzerland then spun, resulting in the safety car being deployed at the end of lap one to allow the marshals time to pick up both the Swiss and Indian cars from dangerous places.
A couple of laps later and the race was back on, with Ireland leading from Portugal, Lebanon, Malaysia, Great Britain, Netherlands, USA and France.
Monaco’s race ended early as Clivio Piccione pitted with technical problems. Boosted by his home crowds, Malaysia’s Fairuz Fauzy made a move around the outside of Morad to grab fourth. Great Britain’s Watts then began putting pressure on Lebanon as he tried to make up for his bad start. Watts made a move but the pair ran wide allowing Netherlands and the USA to get through. Brazil dived up the inside of a recovering Watts, but France, to the right of him, chopped across in front taking off the British car’s nose and leaving France with a puncture.
The order at the front was now Ireland from Portugal, Malaysia, Netherlands, USA, Lebanon, China and Brazil.
On lap eight the first pit window opened and Malaysia was first in, followed by Netherlands, USA, China and Lebanon. China had a fantastic stop which got it out ahead of both USA and Lebanon. Portugal pittted on the next lap as Ireland remained out in front, still putting in consistently quick lap times.
Marco Andretti in the USA car was now piling the pressure on China, eventually making his move stick around the outside of the hairpin at Turn 9.
With a 15-second lead, Ireland pitted with another fantastic stop from the Irish crew, getting Carroll back out comfortably at the front.
Netherlands' Jeroen Bleekemolen, was in fourth when he received a drive-through penalty for the first lap collision with India, which was deemed avoidable, dropping him down the field to a disappointing 14th. Australia’s John Martin passed China down the main straight and then started attacking Adrian Zaugg, whose South African team had got him out quickly in the pit stops.
After the first round of pit stops Ireland had a five-second lead over Portugal, Malaysia, USA, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, China, Lebanon and New Zealand.
Lebanon’s Morad made a mistake through Turns 7 and 8 and ran wide, losing a further two places to drop him down to 11th.
On lap 17, from third position, home favourite Fairuz Fauzy confused his team and the watching crowds by diving into the pit lane unexpectedly. A communications glitch meant he received a radio call, that only he heard, to pit that was from another team. His bemused team sent him straight off, but the time lost cost him a potential podium and dropped the Malaysian to 14th.
The USA’s Marco Andretti was now promoted to third. After being involved in a huge start line crash earlier in the day; the 21-year-old was back on track with the help of Korea’s rear wing as the Korean team didn’t make either race due to technical problems that couldn’t be resolved after qualifying.
New Zealand’s Earl Bamber, who started down in 15th, was making good progress, passing China's Ho-Pin Tung around the outside of the final hairpin for eighth.
On lap 18 Mexico's David Garza threw away tenth place by spinning while challenging Daniel Morad's Lebanon car.
Out at the front Portugal was keeping Ireland honest, with the pair putting in consistently close lap times in the blistering heat.
On lap 22, the second pit window was open and the cars began coming in. Australia’s mechanics did another superb job getting John Martin out ahead of South Africa, in what would eventually be fourth position after all the pit stops.
A1 Team Ireland kept up its reputation of being one of the best crews in the pit lane, helping their man retain a healthy lead from Portugal.
Great Britain was back in the pits again on lap 25 to fix a brake problem, getting Watts back out although six laps down, to end a disappointing day for the team with no points scored.
In the closing stages of the race Malaysia was fighting hard as Fauzy passed Lebanon to move up into 12th. Italy's Edoardo Piscopo gave away ninth place by running wide at the final hairpin and promoting Netherlands' Jeroen Bleekemolen. Malaysia and Italy then had a great battle for the final point. In a great wheel-to-wheel battle, Fauzy’s superb driving got him ahead of Piscopo to take tenth, much to the delight of the cheering crowds.
As the chequered flag came out, Ireland claimed its second victory of the season ahead of Portugal. USA’s Marco Andretti and Australia’s John Martin both put in great drives to come through the field to finish a commendable third and fourth respectively.
Adam Carroll completed the perfect race taking the win, pole position and fastest lap to give the team an eight-point lead at the top of the championship as A1GP World Cup of Motorsport heads into the Christmas break.
He said: “We were starting from pole position and I just concentrated on getting a good start, which allowed me to control the race from there. It’s a long race, the car’s heavy at the start so you just run as fast as you can and be smooth and it allowed us to open up quite a good gap.
“It’s all team work though, it doesn’t just come down to one person as everybody works extremely hard. It’s been hard for the guys to be out here since Tuesday at the circuit in this heat and humidity, but they practiced pit stops every night to make sure they did a good job.
“We planned to come here and try and come away leading the championship and we have. Winning the race is just a good bonus and I’m going to fight hard to keep it.”
Portugal’s Filipe Albuquerque said: “I achieved our goals. Actually, I went better than what we were expecting. We wanted to go to the first pit stop in third, but it was even better as we were in second. I was doing whatever I could to keep the pace, but it all needs to be perfect, and Ireland did a good pit stop and we didn’t. We are also missing one guy from our crew who’s in hospital, so I wish him the best. In the end it was good to just take the points. You cannot win every time and they were just perfect and I’m really happy with the second place. “
A1 Team USA’s Marco Andretti said: “The start was a bit of survival and I used the PowerBoost when everybody was close together and we needed the track position. The boys did a good job in the pits and then we weren’t threatened from behind, but I had nothing on these guys in front so I was just enjoying the car and Sepang. It’s a lovely circuit.”
With Portugal, France, and next event-holders New Zealand close behind in the points’ standings, Ireland will be looking to continue its dominance when battle resumes in New Zealand on 23 – 25 January 2009.
RESULTS: Sprint race
Pos A1 Team Driver Laps Time Gap
1 Switzerland Neel Jani 11 22'41.567
2 France Loïc Duval 11 22'51.479 9.912
3 New Zealand Earl Bamber 11 22'53.380 11.813
4 Portugal Filipe Albuquerque 11 22'54.020 12.453
5 Ireland Adam Carroll 11 22'54.772 13.205
6 Netherlands Jeroen Bleekemolen 11 22'56.966 15.399
7 Italy Edoardo Piscopo 11 23'01.514 19.947
8 Australia John Martin 11 23'03.004 21.437
9 South Africa Adrian Zaugg 11 23'09.241 27.674
10 China Ho-Pin Tung 11 23'11.059 29.492
11 Lebanon Daniel Morad 11 23'13.616 32.049
12 Monaco Clivio Piccione 11 23'13.973 32.406
13 Indonesia Satrio Hermanto 11 23'20.526 38.959
14 Mexico David Garza 11 23'36.622 55.055
15 Malaysia Fairuz Fauzy 10 22'46.989 1 lap
16 Great Britain Danny Watts 4 23'20.949 7 laps
17 Brazil Felipe Guimarães 0 11 laps
18 India Narain Karthikeyan 0 11 laps
19 USA Marco Andretti 0 11 laps
- Korea Jin-Woo Hwang 0
A1GP - Chengdu, China - November 09, 2008
RESULTS: Feature race
Pos A1 Team Driver Laps Time Gap
1 Portugal Filipe Albuquerque 51 1:11'23.179
2 Ireland Adam Carroll 51 1:11'23.750 0.571
3 Great Britain Danny Watts 51 1:11'27.981 4.802
4 Switzerland Neel Jani 51 1:11'30.336 7.157
5 Malaysia Fairuz Fauzy 51 1:11'36.481 13.302
6 Australia John Martin 51 1:11'38.723 15.544
7 Monaco Clivio Piccione 51 1:11'39.415 16.236
8 USA Marco Andretti 51 1:11'39.869 16.690
9 South Africa Adrian Zaugg 51 1:11'41.209 18.030
10 India Narain Karthikeyan 51 1:11'41.938 18.759
11 New Zealand Chris van der Drift 51 1:11'42.854 19.675
12 China Ho-Pin Tung 51 1:11'43.305 20.126
13 Lebanon Daniel Morad 51 1:11'45.759 22.580
14 Indonesia Satrio Hermanto 51 1:11'54.464 31.285
15 Mexico David Garza 50 1 lap
16 Netherlands Robert Doornbos 50 1 lap
17 Korea Jin-Woo Hwang 50 1 lap
18 France Nicolas Prost 0 51 laps
19 Italy Edoardo Piscopo 0 51 laps
20 Brazil Felipe Guimarães 0 51 laps
Pos A1 Team Driver Laps Time Gap
1 Portugal Filipe Albuquerque 51 1:11'23.179
2 Ireland Adam Carroll 51 1:11'23.750 0.571
3 Great Britain Danny Watts 51 1:11'27.981 4.802
4 Switzerland Neel Jani 51 1:11'30.336 7.157
5 Malaysia Fairuz Fauzy 51 1:11'36.481 13.302
6 Australia John Martin 51 1:11'38.723 15.544
7 Monaco Clivio Piccione 51 1:11'39.415 16.236
8 USA Marco Andretti 51 1:11'39.869 16.690
9 South Africa Adrian Zaugg 51 1:11'41.209 18.030
10 India Narain Karthikeyan 51 1:11'41.938 18.759
11 New Zealand Chris van der Drift 51 1:11'42.854 19.675
12 China Ho-Pin Tung 51 1:11'43.305 20.126
13 Lebanon Daniel Morad 51 1:11'45.759 22.580
14 Indonesia Satrio Hermanto 51 1:11'54.464 31.285
15 Mexico David Garza 50 1 lap
16 Netherlands Robert Doornbos 50 1 lap
17 Korea Jin-Woo Hwang 50 1 lap
18 France Nicolas Prost 0 51 laps
19 Italy Edoardo Piscopo 0 51 laps
20 Brazil Felipe Guimarães 0 51 laps
A1GP - Chengdu, China - November 09, 2008
RESULTS: Sprint race
Pos
A1 Team Driver Laps Time Gap
1 Ireland Adam Carroll 18 22'58.470
2 Netherlands Robert Doornbos 18 23'00.507 2.037
3 Great Britain Danny Watts 18 23'12.831 14.361
4 Switzerland Neel Jani 18 23'13.089 14.619
5 South Africa Adrian Zaugg 18 23'18.578 20.108
6 Portugal Filipe Albuquerque 18 23'18.945 20.475
7 New Zealand Chris van der Drift 18 23'25.694 27.224
8 France Nicolas Prost 18 23'26.393 27.923
9 Monaco Clivio Piccione 18 23'28.848 30.378
10 India Narain Karthikeyan 18 23'30.738 32.268
11 Australia John Martin 18 23'31.668 33.198
12 Lebanon Daniel Morad 18 23'32.763 34.293
13 Malaysia Fairuz Fauzy 18 23'33.125 34.655
14 Italy Edoardo Piscopo 18 23'35.011 36.541
15 USA Marco Andretti 18 23'36.572 38.102
16 Mexico David Garza 18 23'40.981 42.511
17 China Ho-Pin Tung 18 23'48.081 49.611
18 Indonesia Satrio Hermanto 18 24'02.598 1'04.128
19 Korea Jin-Woo Hwang 18 24'04.641 1'06.171
20 Brazil Felipe Guimarães 14 4 laps
Pos
A1 Team Driver Laps Time Gap
1 Ireland Adam Carroll 18 22'58.470
2 Netherlands Robert Doornbos 18 23'00.507 2.037
3 Great Britain Danny Watts 18 23'12.831 14.361
4 Switzerland Neel Jani 18 23'13.089 14.619
5 South Africa Adrian Zaugg 18 23'18.578 20.108
6 Portugal Filipe Albuquerque 18 23'18.945 20.475
7 New Zealand Chris van der Drift 18 23'25.694 27.224
8 France Nicolas Prost 18 23'26.393 27.923
9 Monaco Clivio Piccione 18 23'28.848 30.378
10 India Narain Karthikeyan 18 23'30.738 32.268
11 Australia John Martin 18 23'31.668 33.198
12 Lebanon Daniel Morad 18 23'32.763 34.293
13 Malaysia Fairuz Fauzy 18 23'33.125 34.655
14 Italy Edoardo Piscopo 18 23'35.011 36.541
15 USA Marco Andretti 18 23'36.572 38.102
16 Mexico David Garza 18 23'40.981 42.511
17 China Ho-Pin Tung 18 23'48.081 49.611
18 Indonesia Satrio Hermanto 18 24'02.598 1'04.128
19 Korea Jin-Woo Hwang 18 24'04.641 1'06.171
20 Brazil Felipe Guimarães 14 4 laps
F1 Brazilian GP - Race 02/11/08
Massa takes Interlagos, Hamilton takes the title!
It all came down to the final turn on the final lap of the final race in what was a thrilling climax to a fantastic championship battle this year. There were no big mistakes from Lewis Hamilton as he took the chequered flag in fifth position to claim the Formula One World Championship.
Felipe Massa dominated the final race of the season from the pole position, but trailing Hamilton by seven points heading into the race, it was always going to be an uphill struggle for the Ferrari star. However, it could not have been a more dramatic finale...
"The most dramatic race of my whole life," said the 2008 championship winner. "It’s pretty much impossible to put this into words: I’m still speechless. It’s been such a long journey, but I’ve always had the support of my family, the team, our partners and the fans. We did a fantastic job throughout the whole year and, with all the sacrifices we made, I’m so thrilled to be able to win this for everyone."
"Sebastian got past me and I was told that I had to get back in front of him," Hamilton continued. "I couldn’t believe it. Then at the very last corner I managed to get past Timo - it was just amazing. This was one of the toughest races of my life, if not the toughest. I was shouting, ‘Do I have it? Do I have it?’ on the radio. It was only when I took the chequered flag and got to turn one that the team told me I was world champion. I was ecstatic.
"
Hamilton’s title success - in just his second season in the sport - breaks McLaren’s streak of championship frustration nine years after its last success with Mika Hakkinen. Ferrari meanwhile has secured the constructors’ championship from McLaren making it an astonishing seven championships from the last nine years.
It was a tense final race of the year as right up to the chequered flag on lap 71, it was not clear who would be crowned as champion. A rain shower ahead of the formation lap saw the start of the race delayed ten minutes and Massa promptly led away from pole position and was never seriously threatened for the race win. The rest was in the hands of Hamilton, McLaren and in the end, Toyota.
After the initial rain showers the circuit soon dried out but late in the race a second shower really threw the race for the title into confusion. With two laps to go, Hamilton ran wide and Sebastian Vettel slipped through into fifth position and at that point it was Massa who would be crowned champion. Massa took the chequered flag believing he had taken the ultimate prize, but behind the drama was still not over...
Timo Glock, running fourth, had not pitted for wet weather tyres with the rest and on the very last lap of the race he dropped 18 seconds and critically for Hamilton, down to sixth position. It was an incredible result as seconds later Hamilton took the chequered flag in that all-important fifth position and he was champion.
Massa didn’t put a wheel wrong and is understandably distraught to lose out in the final seconds of the Grand Prix. The Ferrari star took the chequered flag 13 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso who made best use of an early stop for dry tyres to vault ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton.
"We did everything to perfection and we almost managed to pull it off," stated Massa. "Then, as I crossed the line, (engineer) Rob (Smedley) told me that Hamilton had finished fifth and therefore he took the title by one point. Sport is like this and one has to accept that. Congratulations to Lewis: whoever gets the most points deserves the title."
Kimi Raikkonen spent the race managing the gap to those ahead of him on track while trying to push Hamilton back into the field. It was really a no-win situation for the 2007 champion but at least his third position this afternoon gave him third position in the championship ahead of Robert Kubica, although they tied on points.
Sebastian Vettel finished in fourth position in the leading Toro Rosso pushing Massa early in the race ahead of an early pit stop. The Italian Grand Prix winner’s pass on Hamilton with two laps to go could have cost the British racer the championship, but it is a sign that Vettel – quite rightly - is willing to battle with anyone and in any situation.
"I didn’t know where I was in terms of position and I just tried to pass Lewis like any other guy and I succeeded," said the irrepressible Vettel. "I passed Timo just at the last corner, as he was struggling on dry tyres. Lewis was behind me at that moment, but as I wasn’t sure where I was after the final pit stop for rain tyres, I was definitely not aware that I might be influencing the world championship!"
Hamilton took the chequered flag in fifth position, less than a second behind Vettel, while Glock dropped five seconds to the McLaren driver from the final turn to the start-finish straight. Heikki Kovalainen was never a factor in the race and could not be really with his team-mate so focused on fifth position. The Finn finished seventh in the second McLaren Mercedes.
Jarno Trulli started on the front row of the grid, but a half spin in the wet conditions dropped the Italian veteran down the order. The Toyota driver finished in eighth but with Vettel fourth, drops one additional position in the championship standings.
Mark Webber finished his season with a ninth place but there was heartbreak for team-mate David Coulthard. Starting his final race, Nico Rosberg tipped the Scot into a spin and he then made contact with Kazuki Nakajima. Seconds into his final Grand Prix, it was all over for Coulthard.
It was a poor race for BMW Sauber with Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica finishing 11th and 12th ahead of Jenson Button in the leading Honda. Sebastien Bourdais ran well early on but was forced off track by Trulli and dropped down to 14th position. The Frenchman would never recover the lost ground but did finish ahead of Rubens Barrichello, Adrian Sutil, Kazuki Nakajima and Giancarlo Fisichella.
There can be many ‘what ifs’ up and down the pitlane as there were costly mistakes from teams and drivers alike over the 18 race schedule. Some say one driver deserves the title more than another but as out-going champion Kimi Raikkonen pointed out ahead of the race weekend; the most deserving champion is the one with the most points.
The season may now be over, but Formula One does not stop and the test teams will be in action later this month. For Hamilton, testing in readiness for the 2009 season is probably the last thing on his mind as he celebrates his championship success and good fortune.
Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton who at the age of 23 years, nine months and 26 days becomes the youngest ever Formula One World Champion. Commiserations go to Massa who will be back stronger than ever next March in Melbourne...
Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International
It all came down to the final turn on the final lap of the final race in what was a thrilling climax to a fantastic championship battle this year. There were no big mistakes from Lewis Hamilton as he took the chequered flag in fifth position to claim the Formula One World Championship.
Felipe Massa dominated the final race of the season from the pole position, but trailing Hamilton by seven points heading into the race, it was always going to be an uphill struggle for the Ferrari star. However, it could not have been a more dramatic finale...
"The most dramatic race of my whole life," said the 2008 championship winner. "It’s pretty much impossible to put this into words: I’m still speechless. It’s been such a long journey, but I’ve always had the support of my family, the team, our partners and the fans. We did a fantastic job throughout the whole year and, with all the sacrifices we made, I’m so thrilled to be able to win this for everyone."
"Sebastian got past me and I was told that I had to get back in front of him," Hamilton continued. "I couldn’t believe it. Then at the very last corner I managed to get past Timo - it was just amazing. This was one of the toughest races of my life, if not the toughest. I was shouting, ‘Do I have it? Do I have it?’ on the radio. It was only when I took the chequered flag and got to turn one that the team told me I was world champion. I was ecstatic.
"
Hamilton’s title success - in just his second season in the sport - breaks McLaren’s streak of championship frustration nine years after its last success with Mika Hakkinen. Ferrari meanwhile has secured the constructors’ championship from McLaren making it an astonishing seven championships from the last nine years.
It was a tense final race of the year as right up to the chequered flag on lap 71, it was not clear who would be crowned as champion. A rain shower ahead of the formation lap saw the start of the race delayed ten minutes and Massa promptly led away from pole position and was never seriously threatened for the race win. The rest was in the hands of Hamilton, McLaren and in the end, Toyota.
After the initial rain showers the circuit soon dried out but late in the race a second shower really threw the race for the title into confusion. With two laps to go, Hamilton ran wide and Sebastian Vettel slipped through into fifth position and at that point it was Massa who would be crowned champion. Massa took the chequered flag believing he had taken the ultimate prize, but behind the drama was still not over...
Timo Glock, running fourth, had not pitted for wet weather tyres with the rest and on the very last lap of the race he dropped 18 seconds and critically for Hamilton, down to sixth position. It was an incredible result as seconds later Hamilton took the chequered flag in that all-important fifth position and he was champion.
Massa didn’t put a wheel wrong and is understandably distraught to lose out in the final seconds of the Grand Prix. The Ferrari star took the chequered flag 13 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso who made best use of an early stop for dry tyres to vault ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton.
"We did everything to perfection and we almost managed to pull it off," stated Massa. "Then, as I crossed the line, (engineer) Rob (Smedley) told me that Hamilton had finished fifth and therefore he took the title by one point. Sport is like this and one has to accept that. Congratulations to Lewis: whoever gets the most points deserves the title."
Kimi Raikkonen spent the race managing the gap to those ahead of him on track while trying to push Hamilton back into the field. It was really a no-win situation for the 2007 champion but at least his third position this afternoon gave him third position in the championship ahead of Robert Kubica, although they tied on points.
Sebastian Vettel finished in fourth position in the leading Toro Rosso pushing Massa early in the race ahead of an early pit stop. The Italian Grand Prix winner’s pass on Hamilton with two laps to go could have cost the British racer the championship, but it is a sign that Vettel – quite rightly - is willing to battle with anyone and in any situation.
"I didn’t know where I was in terms of position and I just tried to pass Lewis like any other guy and I succeeded," said the irrepressible Vettel. "I passed Timo just at the last corner, as he was struggling on dry tyres. Lewis was behind me at that moment, but as I wasn’t sure where I was after the final pit stop for rain tyres, I was definitely not aware that I might be influencing the world championship!"
Hamilton took the chequered flag in fifth position, less than a second behind Vettel, while Glock dropped five seconds to the McLaren driver from the final turn to the start-finish straight. Heikki Kovalainen was never a factor in the race and could not be really with his team-mate so focused on fifth position. The Finn finished seventh in the second McLaren Mercedes.
Jarno Trulli started on the front row of the grid, but a half spin in the wet conditions dropped the Italian veteran down the order. The Toyota driver finished in eighth but with Vettel fourth, drops one additional position in the championship standings.
Mark Webber finished his season with a ninth place but there was heartbreak for team-mate David Coulthard. Starting his final race, Nico Rosberg tipped the Scot into a spin and he then made contact with Kazuki Nakajima. Seconds into his final Grand Prix, it was all over for Coulthard.
It was a poor race for BMW Sauber with Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica finishing 11th and 12th ahead of Jenson Button in the leading Honda. Sebastien Bourdais ran well early on but was forced off track by Trulli and dropped down to 14th position. The Frenchman would never recover the lost ground but did finish ahead of Rubens Barrichello, Adrian Sutil, Kazuki Nakajima and Giancarlo Fisichella.
There can be many ‘what ifs’ up and down the pitlane as there were costly mistakes from teams and drivers alike over the 18 race schedule. Some say one driver deserves the title more than another but as out-going champion Kimi Raikkonen pointed out ahead of the race weekend; the most deserving champion is the one with the most points.
The season may now be over, but Formula One does not stop and the test teams will be in action later this month. For Hamilton, testing in readiness for the 2009 season is probably the last thing on his mind as he celebrates his championship success and good fortune.
Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton who at the age of 23 years, nine months and 26 days becomes the youngest ever Formula One World Champion. Commiserations go to Massa who will be back stronger than ever next March in Melbourne...
Earl ALEXANDER
© CAPSIS International
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