Nicolas: Eyes turned to the future!

Today, A1 Team France finished its 2008-09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport Championship on the very tricky Brands Hatch circuit in England.

In the Sprint race in which the team started from twelfth place, Nicolas Prost’s consistency allied to an aggressive strategy, enabled it to move up 3 places and see the flag in ninth spot just outside the points on a circuit where every overtaking move is a risk.

In the Feature race in which A1 Team France was hoping for great things an electronic glitch dashed Nicolas’s chances. He was eighth on the first lap. His engine then cut out on him, and he continued in sixteenth place after resetting the system. He fought right up till the very end gaining 6 places thanks to a hard-charging drive and perfectly executed pit stops. He finally saw the flag in tenth place scoring a point.

A1 Team France has ended the 2008-09 championship in fifth place in the overall classification. This was not the result the team was aiming for and it masks the progress made over the past few weeks. So everybody was not too downhearted at the chequered flag, as they all know that they will be fighting at the front when the next season starts this coming autumn.

Olivier Panis, Sporting Director: «Once again the potential was there, and our pace should have seen us fighting for the rostrum. It could be seen as frustrating but our end-of-season performances make me feel optimistic, as we should be able to hit the ground flying at the start of the next season. I’d like to thank the whole team for having done a great job. Congratulations to Ireland, which we’d like to welcome into the club of A1GP Champions! I’d also like to take advantage of the final day to thank all those enthusiasts who’ve followed our campaign without fail over the past several months, and have sent us hundreds of messages. That’s also what make the A1GP Championship such a special one!»

Nicolas Prost: «This weekend I’ve seen a huge number of positive points. First of all, we set the second fastest lap in the race on two occasions, which shows that we’ve recovered our competitiveness. The pit stops were carried out without the slightest hitch helping the team gain places. The process of setting up the car enabled us to overcome the problems that handicapped us for several races due to a lack of running. This evening, all the signs are looking very positive and we’re already thinking about the coming season. I’m sure that we’ll shine right from the word go. Once again I’d like to thank the whole team for putting its trust in me.»

Official press release of A1 Team France

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