2008–09 A1 Grand Prix season

The A1GP 2008/2009 season was held on 4 October 2008 to 3 May 2009, a total of seven racetracks. As a world champion Ireland emerged.

Overview

The 2008/2009 season was the fourth of the A1GP series, which in combination with a brand new race car marked " Powered by Ferrari " was now due to the closed with Ferrari engine supplier Treaty. The season was marked by production difficulties of the new chassis and financial constraints of the series. Ireland with Adam Carroll at the helm won after five race wins the title of champion team last season, Switzerland, which could finish four races first. Cup Third was the Portuguese team with a racing success for the first time. Also were able to record race wins, the teams from France, Malaysia and the Netherlands ( twice).

Car

As a unit of the new A1 - Ferrari car with Michelin tires was used, see A1GP cars. He was from the beginning prone than the previous car, which can be explained by the relatively short development and test time.

Team

There were officially 23 teams (see team and driver overview), but took only 21 actually on race weekends part. Of the two officially listed but abstinent racing teams entered Pakistan after all the official test on 2 and 3 October at Snetterton and a two-day private test with the A1GP car in the Phakisa Freeway in appearance (February 2009 ), in Canada, no tests known. Team Czech Republic was one of the series no longer, Korea and Monaco got a new.

Not all teams participated throughout. The teams from Great Britain, India and Mexico were missing the first race weekend due to the chassis problem. Team Germany only came in from the Kyalami weekend because after the withdrawal of Seat Holder Willi Weber first found a successor, and the team had to be restructured.

Team and driver overview

Race Calendar

The calendar of the 2008/2009 season contained seven race weekends.

Before the season three official tests were held. They took place ( 23 / ​​24 September and 2nd / 3rd October), Donington ( September 9/11 ) and Snetterton. There was also a further test on October 23 / ​​27 at Silverstone.

The start of the season had to be postponed because of the problems in the completion of the new chassis for 19 - planned 21 September race weekend at Mugello be deleted. Reassemble were handed out and some still during training ( and, in some cases, of qualifying ) - Zandvoort two weeks later possessed still only 17 teams on a chassis, eight of which her ​​car only shortly before the race weekend - five even immediately had. Only the teams from Australia, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and South Africa and Ireland, Lebanon, Monaco, Pakistan had received their chassis earlier and thus had the opportunity to participate in testing.

Among the problems it was caused by an accident of the Austrian test driver Patrick Friesacher after a fracture of a strut of the rear right wheel suspension during a test at Magny -Cours come ( in the fast Estoril Passage ), in which these three thoracic vertebrae broke what closely the sized test schedule completely threw overboard. There have been improvements in this area of the car necessary, who took an appropriate time.

The first planned for early November race weekend at Lippo Village has been postponed to the beginning of February; originally scheduled for mid-December event in Chengdu then took over the appointment. Despite the now received additional construction, the range near Jakarta, the A1GP series was due to heavy rains that already vorasphaltierte sections destroyed again in safety-relevant areas not be completed in time for the FIA track inspection, so a grade 2 class did not take place, even not only traveled all and only local shows such as the Indonesian GT Championship actually fought out runs.

Before the race weekend in Kyalami, there were significant delays in the delivery of the equipements. Due to this the daily routine of many teams has been affected significantly on Friday postponed the training about backwards, but instead found the rookie sessions still too early for some teams.

The last to May 24, intended for the 22 race weekend in Mexico City was canceled due to the outbreak of swine flu. Previously there had been problems with the homologation of the originally scheduled for March 13 to 15 scheduled route, because the FIA with the single chicane before the dangerous Peralta used in the previous year (because ) target curve no longer zufriedengab and only one of the A1GP series proposed triple chicane met with acceptance.

A media into the game accommodated race weekend in Brazil's Interlagos from 15 to 17 May 2009, it was listed in the first versions of the official A1GP calendar as TBA event in late March, did not materialize. The place and the later date were anyway never officially announced by the series organizers.

Rule Changes

The two sections of rookie training was extended by five minutes to 30 minutes the pause increased from ten to 20 minutes. The qualification further consisted of four parts; the pilots had only ten instead of 15 minutes to achieve in each segment now time to their lap times. During the main event did not experience any rule changes were obtained for the Sprint race three changes: The race time was increased from 19 to 24 minutes plus one lap. To make larger shifts possible, the teams had now also in this race a pit stop between rounds four and eight insert. The points system was changed once more, and only rewarded the first eight drivers of the Sprint race. The winner got ten points for the other rankings points were awarded in the steps 8-6-5-4-3-2-1.

The definition of " Rookies " was subjected to a further modification: Sun, fell into this category now drivers who did not deny nor more than six races in A1GP, and also not in one of the five most powerful single-seater championships (Formula 1, GP2, Champ Car, Formula Nippon and Indy Cars ) were commenced or drivers who went for the " motorsport developing countries " China, Indonesia, Korea, Lebanon and Pakistan at the start and not more than three top ten results in the A1GP had achieved.

As part of the commitment of Magneti Marelli as electronics supplier in tow of the new Ferrari cars were equipped with a Launch Control. The previously strict prohibition technical driving aids was thus invalid.

To keep the disadvantage that due to the chassis problem prevented the season opener teams have suffered in terms of championship status, as low as possible, match results were introduced before the Zandvoort weekend. The teams involved were able to take the dotless first race weekend of the vote, whereas could afford a double failure elsewhere participating in all seven events Nations.

After the race weekend in Chengdu was decided that the drivers in qualifying in one of the four timed laps the Power Boost button for 60 additional hp would be allowed to use in the future. This would remain the full round activated, which should result in a significant performance advantage. The new rule was first used in Sepang and was from the event at Kyalami standard.

In addition to official testing and race weekends there this season for the first time the opportunity to train in a specially adapted simulator.

Results

• In brackets: without string results

Reporting

In German-speaking countries, the series was initially continue to be transmitted after the premiere of the last season schedule. But the year of the pay- TV channels got out of the transmission. The Swiss sports television with Star TV beamed all major races from a recording.

After the season

Often the difficult financial situation of the series was discussed in advance of the 2009/2010 season, the, their emphasis was, among other things by the insolvency of the A1 Grand Prix Operations Limited, a body responsible for the organizational part of daily business company the A1GP group. Shortly before the start of the season seemed to have eliminated these problems suddenly, after a deal was made with the renowned sport promoter IMG. The event spectacular adopted by the IndyCar Series as the season opener at Surfers Paradise and a verge anberaumter test on the Queensland Raceway, however, did not take place, which marked the end of the A1GP series. The listed to date a further eight in the provisional race calendar appointments, including the race weekends, two and three in Zhuhai and Sepang fell out. Order of the SuperGP organizers together with the queensländischen government prior to the event paid in Surfers Paradise appearance money in the amount of 1.12 million euros kindled a court dispute, as the series organizers to Tony Teixeira could not pay back the money. Also the front of the 2008/2009 season replaced by the Andretti - Green Racing team former Seat Holder of Team USA, Rick Weidinger, began a lawsuit against the series in order not received prize money and the fracture of his exclusive contract with respect to the Seat Holder rights by Teixeira; he got 4.5 million U.S. dollars from a district court in Virginia awarded. A1GP reported in the winter of insolvency, the remains were offered in several rounds from February 2010 for auction. At the end of the series had amassed nearly 500 million euro debt.