A1 Grand Prix
Sport	Auto racing
Founded	2005
No. of teams	24
Most recent champion(s)	Germany

A1GP (formerly A1 Grand Prix) is an open-wheel auto racing series. It is unique in its field in that competitors represent their nation as opposed to a constructor, which is traditional in most formula racing series including Formula One. As such, it is often promoted as the World Cup of Motorsport. The series is ratified and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and races (collectively known as A1GP World Cup of Motorsport) are held in the traditional Formula One off season, the northern hemisphere winter.^[1] Image File history File links A1_grand_prix_logo. ... “Racing cars” redirects here. ... // Athletics Mens 100 metres - Asafa Powell of Jamaica sets a new world record of 9. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Open-wheel racing refers to a type of motor racing in which the wheels of the cars are not housed inside fenders, as in stock car or touring car racing, but rather out in the open at the end of readily-visible axles and suspension systems. ... “Racing cars” redirects here. ... A nation shares a common identity, a common origin and other stuffs. ... Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Formula racing is a form of motorsport where the type of automobiles used is regulated by a formula. ... Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile, commonly referred to as the FIA, is a non-profit association established on June 20, 1904 to represent the interest of motoring organisations and motor car users. ...

History

A world map showing the distribution of A1 GP teams past (blue), present (red) and future (green).

The nation-based A1GP concept was founded by Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum of Dubai, initially in 2004. Once the series had received the backing of the FIA in 2005, a management structure including new executive directors Brian Menell and Tony Teixeira was appointed to oversee the sale of franchises for the operation of international teams. Thirty franchises were made available; twenty-three of them were restricted to specified nations, while the other seven were opened to tender for nations that had not been initially targeted. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1427x628, 48 KB)A map of the world (Image:BlankMap-World. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1427x628, 48 KB)A map of the world (Image:BlankMap-World. ... Physical world map (2004) with country borders and capitals—click for large, 1. ... His Highness Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Al Maktoum (Arabic: ) is a member of Dubais ruling family, he is a nephew of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum the current ruler of Dubai. ... Coordinates: , Emirate Dubai Government  - Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Area [1]  - Metro 4,114 km² (1,588. ... Brian Menell is a South African businessman. ... Tony Teixeira(Antonio Teixeira) is a South African businessman. ...

First season

Main article: 2005-06 A1 Grand Prix season

In total, twenty-five of the franchises were purchased in time for the 2005-06 A1 Grand Prix season, which began on September 25, 2005 with the A1 Grand Prix of Nations Great Britain at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, United Kingdom. The first season was planned for 12 rounds (24 races, with two each weekend); however the cancellation of a race scheduled for Curitiba, Brazil in January 2006 reduced this number to 11. Nelson Angelo Piquet won the inaugural race of the series for A1 Team Brazil. However, their winning form was not to continue. Wins at Estoril saw A1 Team France build up a sizeable gap. By the start of the winter break, France had run away with the lead with A1 Team Switzerland 28 points behind. At the final race of the season in Shanghai, A1 Team France were crowned the first-ever A1 Grand Prix world champions with 172 points. Switzerland were second coming in 121 points and A1 Team Great Britain third with 97 points.^[2] The 2005-06 A1 Grand Prix season is the inaugural season for the A1 Grand Prix series. ... The 2005-06 A1 Grand Prix season is the inaugural season for the A1 Grand Prix series. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 2005-06 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Great Britain was a A1 Grand Prix race, held on September 25, 2005 at the Brands Hatch circuit. ... Brands Hatch is a British motor racing circuit. ... The Kent coat of arms For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... Location of Curitiba Country Brazil Region Sul State Paraná Founded 29 March 1693 Incorporated 1842 Government  - Mayor Carlos Alberto Richa (PSDB) Area  - City 430. ... Nelson Angelo Piquet Nelson Angelo Piquet (born July 25, 1985, Heidelberg, Germany), also Nelson Piquet Junior or Nelsinho Piquet, is a Brazilian race car driver. ... The A1 Team Brazil is the Brazilian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Estoril Beach Estoril is a civil parish of the Portuguese municipality of Cascais. ... The A1 Team France is the French team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... The A1 Team Switzerland is the Swiss team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Shanghai (Chinese: ; pinyin:  ; Wu (Long-short): ZÃ¥nhae; Shanghainese (IPA): ), situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the Peoples Republic of China and the seventh largest in the world. ... A1 Team Great Britain is the British team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ...

Second season

Main article: 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix season

A number of changes were made for the 2006-07 season to race durations and distances to improve the spectacle for attendees and TV viewers.^[3] The 2006-07 schedule was released on July 7, 2006, with the first race at Circuit Park Zandvoort on 1 October 2006, and the last race at Brands Hatch on 29 April 2007. New teams A1 Team Singapore and A1 Team Greece have joined the competition but A1 Team Turkey failed to secure funding for this season. A1 Team Austria, A1 Team Japan, A1 Team Portugal and A1 Team Russia did not return for the second season. However after securing funding A1 Team Portugal competed in the final four rounds of the second season in South Africa, Mexico, China and Britain.The season ended at Brands Hatch on 29 April 2007. A1 Team Germany won it with 128 points, 35 points lead ahead Team New Zealand. The 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix season was the second season for the A1 Grand Prix series. ... is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Circuit Park Zandvoort is a motor racing circuit located near the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, near the North Sea coast line. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... A1 Team Singapore is the A1 Grand Prix national team representing Singapore. ... The A1 Team Greece is the Greek team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... The A1 Team Turkey is the Turkish team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... The A1 Team Austria is the Austrian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... The A1 Team Japan is the Japanese team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... The A1 Team Portugal is the portuguese team for A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... The A1 Team Russia is the Russian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... The A1 Team Portugal is the portuguese team for A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ...

On 29 September, Sheikh Maktoum announced he was resigning his position as chairman and chief executive of the series, seeking to have his place taken by increased shareholder interests. is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Maktoum announced his planned resignation in September and his exit from the organisation was confirmed in December.^[4][5]

Third Season

Main article: 2007-08 A1 Grand Prix season

The 2007-08 A1 Grand Prix Season will be the 3rd season in the relatively short history of the championship. ...

Team Results

Main article: List_of_A1_Grand_Prix_teams

Team	2005-06 A1 Grand Prix season	2006-07 A1 Grand Prix season
A1 Team South Africa	17th	14th
A1 Team Germany	15th	1st
A1 Team Australia	13th	13th
A1 Team Austria	19th	-
A1 Team Brazil	6th	17th
A1 Team Canada	10th	11th
A1 Team China	22nd	15th
A1 Team Singapore	-	20th
A1 Team USA	16th	9th
A1 Team France	1st	4th
A1 Team Great Britain	3rd	3rd
A1 Team The Netherlands	7th	5th
A1 Team India	-	19th
A1 Team Indonesia	18th	21st
A1 Team Ireland	8th	18th
A1 Team Italy	14th	7th
A1 Team Japan	21st	-
A1 Team Lebanon	-	23rd
A1 Team Malaysia	5th	6th
A1 Team Mexico	11th	10th
A1 Team New Zealand	4th	2nd
A1 Team Pakistan	20th	22nd
A1 Team Portugal	9th	16th
A1 Team Czech Republic	12th	12th
A1 Team Switzerland	2nd	8th
A1 Team Philippines?????	–	New Team

The following is a list with statistics of A1 Grand Prix teams which have competed or plan to compete in the A1 Grand Prix World Cup of Motorsport. ... The 2005-06 A1 Grand Prix season is the inaugural season for the A1 Grand Prix series. ... The 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix season was the second season for the A1 Grand Prix series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Africa. ... The A1 Team South Africa is the South African team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... The A1 Team Germany is the German team of A1 Grand Prix. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The A1 Team Australia is the Australian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Austria. ... The A1 Team Austria is the Austrian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ... The A1 Team Brazil is the Brazilian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The A1 Team Canada is the Canadian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_China. ... The A1 Team China is the Chinese team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Singapore. ... A1 Team Singapore is the A1 Grand Prix national team representing Singapore. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The A1 Team USA is the American team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The A1 Team France is the French team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... A1 Team Great Britain is the British team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Netherlands. ... The A1 Team The Netherlands is the Dutch team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ... The A1 Team India is the Indian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Indonesia. ... The A1 Team Indonesia is the Indonesian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland. ... The A1 Team Ireland is the Irish team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... The A1 Team Italy is the Italian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... The A1 Team Japan is the Japanese team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Lebanon. ... The A1 Team Lebanon is the Lebanese team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Malaysia. ... The A1 Team Malaysia is the Malaysian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mexico. ... The A1 Team Mexico is the Mexican team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Zealand. ... The A1 Team New Zealand is the New Zealand team of the international racing series, A1 Grand Prix. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The A1 Team Pakistan is the Pakistani team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series dubbed as the world cup of motorsport. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Portugal. ... The A1 Team Portugal is the portuguese team for A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic. ... The A1 Team Czech Republic is the Czech Republician team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Switzerland. ... The A1 Team Switzerland is the Swiss team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Philippines. ...

Formula

Main article: A1 Grand Prix cars

The A1 Grand Prix car in the livery of the Great Britain team.

The A1GP formula provides for one car to be delivered to each team. Each such car is mechanically identical, built with many technical restrictions designed to limit performance, reduce running costs, and prevent any one or number of teams gaining an advantage through better equipment. This regulation provides a level playing field in which it is hoped driver skill and team effort becomes the primary factor for success. The A1 Grand Prix cars are manufactured by Lola and are standardised for every team to make a level playing field for competing nations. ... Image File history File links GBR_A1GP-racecar. ... Image File history File links GBR_A1GP-racecar. ... A1 Team Great Britain is the British team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. ...

Specifically, the cars have a 600 kg monocoque chassis designed by Lola and model-370/660R13 slick tires from Cooper. Zytek provide a performance-limited 3.4 litre V8 engine, however its performance limitation can be overcome by the driver pressing a button on their steering wheel. This so-called boost button or overtake button increases the engine output, revs and horsepower while the accelerator remains depressed, increasing speed and facilitating easier overtaking. The overtake button may only be used a limited number of times in each race, which is pre-programmed beforehand and identical for each car. Monocoque (French for single shell) is a construction technique that uses the external skin of an object to support some or most of the load on the structure. ... Look up Chassis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Lola Racing Cars (also Lola Cars International) is a racing car engineering company founded in 1961 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon, England. ... A wheel with a slick tire. ... Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is a global company specializing in the design, manufacture and sales of passenger car, light truck, medium truck, motorcycle and racing tires, as well as tread rubber and related equipment for the retread industry. ... Zytek is a british engineering company in automotive control systems, powertrain management and hybrid-electric vehicles. ... The Liberty V8 aircraft engine clearly shows the configuration A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders. ... An engine in the broadest sense, is something that produces an output effect from a given input. ... Overtaking or passing is the act of driving around another slower automobile on a road. ...

Race weekend

Mexico, New Zealand and Malaysia competing during the first-ever race weekend at Brands hatch in Great Britain.

A1 Grands Prix of Nations take place over a three-day period, from Friday to Sunday. The teams are given five sets of dry weather slick tires, and two sets of wet weather treaded tires per weekend. However, if the weather is extreme, the team can be given more wet weather tires at the expense of the slick tires. The race weekend starts with two one-hour practice sessions held on the Friday, and then another on the Saturday morning. A two-hour qualifying session takes place on Saturday afternoon, and two races take place on Sunday. Primarily, the three practice sessions are for car setup and track familiarisation before the official competition begins with Saturday qualifying. Three different drivers may participate in the three practice sessions; the driver elected for qualifying or for one of the races must have taken part in at least one such practice session. Image File history File links Mexico_leads_Kiwis. ... Image File history File links Mexico_leads_Kiwis. ... A wheel with a slick tire. ... The tread of a tire or caterpillar track refers to the pattern visible on its circumference that makes contact with the road. ...

Qualifying

A1 Grand Prix uses a unique qualifying format, which begins at 14:00 local time on the Saturday of the race weekend, to determine the grid lineup for the first of Sunday's races, the Sprint Race. The qualifying period is split into four, fifteen-minute sessions. Each car is permitted three laps per session; including the laps required for leaving the pits, and for re-entering it, this allows one lap to set a competitive time. There is a ten minute break between sessions, which adds up to a total of 90 minutes for qualifying. When the fourth and final session is complete, the grid for the Sprint Race is determined using the aggregate of the best two lap times set by each car. However, if there is a red flag due to an accident on the circuit, the timing to the end of qualifying will continue to run. Look up grid in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In statistics, aggregate data describes data combined from several measurements. ...

Sprint Race

The Sprint Race uses the grid determined in the previous day's qualifying session, and is held in the early afternoon. The race begins from a rolling start, and its duration is the maximum number of laps that equates to a race distance of about 50 kilometres; however, if the race duration passes 25 minutes (perhaps due to safety car periods or slower lap times due to inclement weather) the race ends immediately on the next lap. These figures were 75 kilometres and 30 minutes respectively for the 2005-06 season, but have since been reduced. Drivers are restricted to four uses of the overtake button in the Sprint Race. A rolling start is a type of start in an autoracing race, in which the cars are led at a certain speed by the safety car, before being allowed to accelerate at a certain point just before the start line. ... In Formula 1, a safety car (known in America as the pace car) is a car which limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of a major accident or obstruction on the track. ...

Main Race

The Main Race, sometimes known as the Feature Race, is scheduled for a number of hours later; this period has been recently increased to allow additional setup time and to allow decisions by stewards to be completed (and punishments, where necessary, to be dealt) ahead of the Main Race. At the start of the 2006 season, the grid for the main race was determined by the results of the Sprint Race – each team's sprint race grid position, finishing position and fastest lap ranking were given points (1 point for first, 2 points for second, and so on), and the three were added: the driver with the lowest points total began the Main Race on pole position with the remaining drivers on the grid in ascending points order. However this system was deemed too confusing for spectators at the circuit, so following the 2006-7 China event the series reverted to a simpler qualifying system for the Main Race: Drivers are placed on the grid in the same order as they finished the Sprint Race, with 1st in pole position. The race begins with a standing start, and is limited (in the same fashion as the Sprint Race) to around 180 kilometres or 70 minutes, whichever is shorter. Drivers are permitted eight uses of the overtake button in the Main Race. The terms steward or stewardess can refer to a number of different professional roles. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A standing start is a type of start in autoracing events, in which cars are stationary when the race begins. ...

Pit stop

Each team must, in the duration of the Main Race (but not on the first or last lap), complete a compulsory pit stop, in which all four tires on the car must be changed. Only four mechanics may service the car during the stop, none of which (save the so-called "lollipop man" that directs the car into its pit) may be present before the car comes to a complete halt. Refuelling is also not permitted; infringements of these rules or of the pit-lane speed limit result in the imposition of a drive-through penalty. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ... A road speed limit is the maximum speed allowed by law for road vehicles. ...

There is no requirement for a pit stop during the Sprint Race. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ...

Scoring

Unlike almost all other forms of auto racing, drivers do not score points individually; instead the points they earn are ascribed to their national team. This means that teams can change drivers between rounds, which is often necessary because some drivers have commitments in other formulae, and still accumulate points to their score.

The Sprint Race awards points for the top six positions, in decreasing order: 6 for the winner, 5 for second place, and so on with 4, 3, 2, and one point for sixth place. The Main Race awards points in the same order, but for the first ten places, counting from ten for the winner to one for tenth place. In the 2005-06 season, the Sprint Race had awarded points at the same values as the Main Race, but have since been reduced to their current level. In addition, one point is awarded to the team that sets the fastest single lap time in either the Sprint or Main Race.

Future

The long-term future of the series has however been questioned, with concerns over its ongoing financial viability and the continued input of existing backers. Executive director Tony Teixeira reported a USD 212 million loss for the initial season,^[6] with A1GP officials announcing a debt financing initiative and an initial public offering backed by the Nomura Group and RAB Capital hoping to finance both the initial debt and the 2005-06 season loss.^[7] ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... An initial public offering (IPO) is the first sale of a corporations common shares to investors on a public stock exchange. ... The Nomura Group (野村グループ; Nomura gurūpu) is an international conglomerate of financial services and consulting companies, headquartered in the Nihombashi district of Tokyo, Japan. ...

References

June 14 is the 165th day of the year (166th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: A1 Grand Prix

• A1 Grand Prix official website
• A1podium: The first A1GP Fansite
• A1 Team Racer Homepage
• AutoSportZone.nl, (dutch)