More big names in A1GP
For Round 9 of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, held at Parque Fundidora in Monterrey, Mexico this weekend, two big motorsports
names made their debut in the series. Patrick Carpentier drove for Team Canada, while IRL standout Bryan Herta piloted the Team USA entry. A third new driver with a familiar last name also stepped into a new car - Graham Rahal drove for Team Lebanon.
After rain put a damper on the practice, Herta qualified fifth for the sprint race, Rahal 16th and Carpentier 19th after an 'off' in the first corner which hurt his two lap total. In the sprint race, Herta finished sixth and Carpentier, with a great drive, finished ninth, while Rahal was 13th. In the feature race, which was won by Franca and Alexandre Premat, Herta, who led for a while, finished 13th for the USA. Rahal was right behind him in 14th and Carpentier was 15th, a lap down. Carpentier was strong early on, but a pit speed violation cost him a good finish.
"The first race went really well, I benefited from the improvements made to the car
over the weekend," Carpentier said. "I was getting used to the car each time, understanding you can't be too aggressive behind the wheel! I was hoping for a strong finish in the second race but we lost over a minute in the pits then with the penalty we were down a lap. Overall though I'm really happy! The guys on the team did a great job and they stuck with me through the learning process. For Sean (McIntosh) to have won a race last time out proves he's fast as this is a very competitive series. It was a good experience!"
Barrichello Warning...
You may remember a few weeks back I predicted that Honda F1's new boy
Rubens Barrichello may well find out life isn't that rosy after Ferrari. Now, after most of the pre-season testing has been done, surprise, surprise, Jenson Button is faster on a regular basis than his Brazilian teammate. When asked, Barrichello said (get your violin out), "On the same tires we were doing the same time, we are pretty well matched so it will be fun [this season]. We will be on top of the game." Right...
In a related story, the 'new Minardi' F1 team, now named Super Aguri - Super to be used lightly in this case - completed only 8 laps during its first test and was a whopping 12.5 seconds off the pace, even with experienced veteran Takuma Sato at the wheel. Sato, showing he has little grip on reality, was said to be 'pleased' with the test. Sato went back out in the SA05, which in essence is a 2002 Arrows A23, and promptly spun it. Upon reflection, calling Super Aguri the new Minardi may be an insult to Minardi. Sato's maiden run of the Honda-powered SA05 was marred by hydraulic problems after just three laps. The Japanese ace returned to the track in the afternoon, then spun after five more laps of the Circuit de Catalunya.
For Round 9 of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, held at Parque Fundidora in Monterrey, Mexico this weekend, two big motorsports
 |
| Patrick Carpentier drove for Team Canada in round 9 of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations. (Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography) |
After rain put a damper on the practice, Herta qualified fifth for the sprint race, Rahal 16th and Carpentier 19th after an 'off' in the first corner which hurt his two lap total. In the sprint race, Herta finished sixth and Carpentier, with a great drive, finished ninth, while Rahal was 13th. In the feature race, which was won by Franca and Alexandre Premat, Herta, who led for a while, finished 13th for the USA. Rahal was right behind him in 14th and Carpentier was 15th, a lap down. Carpentier was strong early on, but a pit speed violation cost him a good finish.
"The first race went really well, I benefited from the improvements made to the car
 |
| IRL standout Bryan Herta piloted the Team USA entry. (Photo: A1 GP) |
Barrichello Warning...
You may remember a few weeks back I predicted that Honda F1's new boy
 |
| Surprise, surprise... Jenson Button is faster on a regular basis than his new Honda teammate Rubens Barrichello. (Photo: Honda F1) |
In a related story, the 'new Minardi' F1 team, now named Super Aguri - Super to be used lightly in this case - completed only 8 laps during its first test and was a whopping 12.5 seconds off the pace, even with experienced veteran Takuma Sato at the wheel. Sato, showing he has little grip on reality, was said to be 'pleased' with the test. Sato went back out in the SA05, which in essence is a 2002 Arrows A23, and promptly spun it. Upon reflection, calling Super Aguri the new Minardi may be an insult to Minardi. Sato's maiden run of the Honda-powered SA05 was marred by hydraulic problems after just three laps. The Japanese ace returned to the track in the afternoon, then spun after five more laps of the Circuit de Catalunya.