UpdateF1 >> Formula 1 News > A1GP: Drama in Beijing

Incident filled race in China

After a long break Beijing, China was the host for the third round of A1GP 2006/07. In the process A1GP became the first-ever motor sport series to race in Beijing. After two rounds Team Germany are still topping the standings despite Team Malaysia’s double win in Brno

There have been two major rule changes making the headlines since the last round. The first being a change to the definition of a “Rookie”.

Previously, drivers were not eligible for the rookie sessions once they had made three starts. However drivers under the age of 28 with no more than six A1GP race starts can now take part in the sessions.

The other rule change is regarding the starting grid for the feature race. Officials have decided to revert back to the method used last year to determine the grid for the feature race each weekend. The results from the sprint race will also be the grid for the longer second race, rather than the complicated system that was used for the first two rounds of this season.

The action began on Friday with farcical scenes. The problem arose at the circuits hairpin, which drivers immediately discovered was almost impossible to negotiate.

After a four hour delay to the start of the practice session the first driver to attempt the corner was Nico Hulkenberg of Team Germany who ran out of room on the exit despite crawling on the approach to the corner. The following drivers slowed to a stop and literally queued up in an attempt to round the corner which, apart from utilizing the escape road and a spin-turn, was the only way to negotiate the corner.

The session was red flagged after the Team Lebanon car became stuck with marshals unable to remove it

The rest of Fridays running was abandoned as official met to discuss the course of action to take.

The Officials eventually decided to alter the track meaning the long straight into the hairpin was shortened significantly, and the new Turn 8 will not be as tight as the original.

As a result of so little running on Friday, Saturdays one hour practice session was extended to a ninety-minute session to enable the teams and drivers to gain some knowledge of the track and its new configuration.

Saturday dawned with new optimism and the practice session began as planned. However it didn’t take long before the problems to re-emerge when, after half an hour of running, manhole covers began to lift.

The session was immediately red flagged with Team Netherlands driver Jeroen Bleekemolen fastest. Salvador Duran for Team Mexico was second fastest with Italy’s Enrico Toccacelo third.

Following the renewed problems race officials decided to abandon the qualifying sessions and take the results of the practice session for the grid. Behind the top three in fourth was James Hinchcliffe from Team Canada.

Team GB drivers Oliver Jarvis lined up in eighth place and “Frankie” Cheng started fifteenth for Team China in their home race. Team France driven by Nicolas Lapierre had a repeat of their Brno engine problems and could only manage four laps in practice for twenty-first fastest time.

In the sprint race Team Netherlands took a predictable win in an un-dramatic race. There was no overtaking apart from a few moves in the midfield, as overtaking was made even more difficult by the lack of racing laps.

The race started under the safety car leaving the pack running in the grid order when it pulled in. There were no changes before the safety car re-emerged after only a few laps after Adrian Zaugg in the Team South Africa car spun off-track. When the car was finally removed there was just over four minutes of the race remaining. All Bleekemolen had to do was stay out of trouble until flag, which he did with ease leaving Duran to worry about Toccacelo behind.

The remaining points were also exactly the same as the grid, with Hinchcliffe fourth, Nico Hulkenberg of Team Germany fifth and A1GP debutant Raphael Matos taking the final point for Team Brazil. Cheng managed to finish thirteenth in his home race. The fastest lap when to Duran for Team Mexico a 59.329 which he set on lap 15.

Under the rule changes the feature race lined up in the same order as the sprint race ended.

The feature race was won by Toccacelo and Team Italy after an incident packed last ten minutes. Bleekemolen looked favorite to repeat his sprint race victory after a fast and well timed pit stop. Like the sprint race the safety car dominated the race appearing on a regular basis.

Bleekemolen led from pole from Duran until pitting on lap 20, the stop followed almost immediately by a safety car period. Just before the safety car appeared Oliver Jarvis, making his debut for Team GB, and Nico Hulkenberg had made their stops and there was some confusion over whether they had pitted under the safety car, which is not allowed under A1GP rules.

Both drivers were allowed to continue and received a huge advance up the field as a result. Hinchcliffe, who had not pitted, led the middle part of the race from Matos and Thomas Enge in the Czech Republic car, who also had not pitted before the safety car. All three made their stops with only a few laps to go before the end of the pit window, gifting the lead back to Bleekemolen and Hulkenberg who jumped to second after his pit stop.

Bleekemolen looked set to be this seasosn second winner but, with ten minutes of the race to go, an error caused him to spin off the track and out of the race. This gave the lead to Hulkenberg who led for only a few corners before his car developed gearbox problem ending his race.

When the safety car came in after removing Bleekemolen’s stricken car there was less than five minutes remaining with Toccacelo leading. He was able to hold on for the remaining time to give Team Italy their first A1GP win.

Jarvis finished second giving Team GB nine points on his debut, Karl Reindler was third for Team Australia, and Lapierre fought his was up to fourth despite starting seventeenth after problems in the practice session that counted for the grid. Zaugg was fifth, Enge sixth, Matos seventh, Christian Murchison finished eighth to give Team Singapore their first ever A1GP points, Matt Halliday was ninth for Team New Zealand and Hinchcliffe was able to recover to finish tenth.

Hinchcliffe also set the fastest lap in the race his 58.107 on lap 39 was fastest than Duran managed in the sprint race giving Team Canada an extra point.

As a result of their consistency in the first three rounds Team Mexico now lead the standings with 24 points from Germany in second with 22. Series One Champions Team France are struggling in ninth with only 15 points.

Written: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 16:08:10