A surprise showing by Adrian Zaugg saw the 19-year-old clinch South Africa’s first victory at the opening race of the second A1 Grand Prix championship, hosted at Zandvoort in the Netherlands this weekend.
A surprise showing by Adrian Zaugg saw the 19-year-old clinch South Africa’s first victory at the opening race of the second A1 Grand Prix championship, hosted at Zandvoort in the Netherlands this weekend.
Zaugg put in a dominant display on his début for the team after starting from pole position. The more experienced Salvador Duran from Mexico leaped ahead from the rolling start into turn one, but the local rookie (among the 12 in a pack of 23) retook the lead and remained at the front for the entire 12-lap race. Zaugg set the fastest lap time on the seventh lap before finishing 2,2 seconds ahead of Mexico and France.
“Thanks to the team. They gave me a great car,” said the sprint race winner. “It’s a fantastic feeling to win my first race in the A1GP,” said Zaugg. I was watching these two guys (Duran and Nicolas Lapierre) in the last season of A1GP and saw them win races. I am very proud to stand between them here today.”
But the young South African was not as lucky in the second, 45-lap feature race. The 19-year old failed to capitalise on his pole position and fell into fourth position by the first corner. Zaugg’s frustration continued when he retired after coming to blows with the car from Great Britain and running onto the gravel trap.
An error by Mexico saw France move to the front of the field, with Germany soon slotting in behind it, and Lapierre rapidly opening up a lead.
From lap 14, torrential rain saw most teams switching to wet tyres though Team USA elected to remain on slicks in the hope that the rain would ease and the track would dry out. With other teams diving into the pits for tyre changes USA was leading the field by lap 23, but its decision to remain on slicks proved costly as first France, and then the Netherlands, Germany and Italy slipped past.
Mechanical errors put paid to France’s chances of a victory, and the German and Dutch drivers fought to the end before fading tyres demolished the Netherlands chances of a victory.
Nico Hulkenberg, the German rookie, finished first, with USA’s Phil Giebler gaining the next podium spot after his team’s tyre gamble paid off. Australia’s Ryan Briscoe finished third, followed by local hero Jeroen Bleekemolen.
The next race will be decided at Brno in the Czech Republic next Sunday.