The penultimate round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at the Shangai International Circuit proved good for championship leaders Switzerland, who won the Sprint race and finished fifth in unfavourable conditions during the Feature, while the USA took its first-ever A1 win.
Neel Jani secured both pole positions and after an initial threat from Team Portugal rookie Filipe Alberquerque at the start of the Sprint race, Jani’s experience showed as he took the lead from the first corner and dominated the 10-lap race. Alberquerque lost second place to Canadian Robert Wickens as a costly error dropped him into fifth position, however, the Portuguese’s potential shone through as he fought his way back to third and dogged Wickens for the rest of the race.
“I made a mistake at the start that cost me a lot. I fell back into fifth place and then had to fight with Karthikeyan (India). I was able to be third at least and then I was trying to push Robert (Canada) to get second but it’s very hard to overtake here,” said Albuquerque. “He was getting the team instructions when I was using the push to pass, so I was not able to catch him on the straight. Third place is still good though and I’m pleased to be on the podium but just not as I wanted.”
Team USA and driver Jonathan Summerton were the surprise stars of the Feature Race, especially since Summerton had earlier crashed out in an incident with Jonny Reid of New Zealand that left the American with a right-hand injury during the sprint race.
After his treatment, Summerton was cleared to race in the Feature and despite his injury, took an early advantage when pole-sitter Jani made an error on the starting line. It was later discovered that the Swiss car had a problem engaging second-gear and Jani had to adapt his driving style to work his way around it. The Americans also had two super-quick pitstops, which contributed towards the increasing gap between Summerton and the rest of the field and eventually the very convincing win for Team USA.
“We’re very proud that A1 Team USA has taken its first win in A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. It’s an awesome achievement for our team and we’re thrilled to have done it representing the USA in an international racing series. This win is the first of many to come,” commented Team USA’s seat holder, Rick Weidinger.
Team Portugal’s Alberquerque again notched up a podium finish, this time in second place. Like the rest of the top four teams, he found it easy to pass Sprint race winner Jani, who would later lose fifth gear as well.
“When I got close to Neel (Jani) I noticed he had a problem with second gear and I noticed that at the hairpin on the second last corner. He was pretty fast but I knew I would pass him with an early pit stop and then I pushed very hard on my out lap and after that I was just getting away from Ireland,” explained Albuquerque.
Adam Carroll of Team Ireland finished third, but had to claim the spot with authority as he fought off Narain Karthikeyan of Team India, Malaysian Alex Yoong and eventually moved the car past Jani as well. Switzerland slipped down the order once again as a slow second pitstop and the pestering gearbox problem saw championship rivals New Zealand finish ahead of Jani, who ended in fifth.
All eyes now turn towards the final round at Brands Hatch in England on May 4 as Switzerland go into the races comfortably ahead in the standings, but could be unsettled by the very capable New Zealand team during last Sprint and Feature race of the season. Both teams were runner-ups in previous seasons; Switzerland lost out to France in the first season and last season the Kiwis were beaten by Team Germany.