A1 Grand Prix facts for kids
| Category | Single seaters |
|---|---|
| Country | International |
| Inaugural season | 2005/06 |
| Folded | 2010 |
| Drivers | 35 |
| Teams | 21 |
| Constructors | Ferrari |
| Engine suppliers | Ferrari |
| Last Teams' champion |  A1 Team Ireland (2009/08) |
The A1 Grand Prix (A1GP) was a special type of open wheel car auto racing series. It was different from most races because drivers raced for their nation, not just for themselves or a team. Think of it like the Olympics, but with race cars!
The series was approved by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), which is the main group for motor racing. Races usually happened in the winter in the northern part of the world. This was during the time when the famous Formula One races were not happening.
The idea for A1GP came from Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum of Dubai in 2003. Later, Tony Teixeira took over the series in 2006. Sadly, the series ran into money problems and stopped completely by 2009.
Contents
History of A1 Grand Prix
The idea for A1 Grand Prix started in 2003 with Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum from Dubai. He wanted to create a new kind of racing. Brian Menell and Tony Teixeira were chosen to help sell "franchises." A franchise meant a country could buy a spot to have its own racing team. Thirty of these spots were made available.
First Season: 2005–06
Twenty-five countries bought franchises for the first A1 Grand Prix season in 2005–06. The very first race was on 25 September 2005. It was called the A1 Grand Prix of Nations Great Britain. This exciting event took place at the Brands Hatch circuit in the United Kingdom.
The first season was planned to have 12 rounds. Each round included two races over a weekend. One race in Curitiba, Brazil, was cancelled in January 2006. Nelson Piquet, Jr. from A1 Team Brazil won the first-ever race. At the end of the season, A1 Team France became the first A1 Grand Prix world champions. They earned 172 points. Switzerland came in second place with 121 points, and A1 Team Great Britain was third with 97 points.
Later Seasons and Challenges
The 2006–07 season began on 1 October 2006 at Circuit Park Zandvoort. The final race was again at Brands Hatch on 29 April 2007. This time, Team Germany won the championship with 128 points. They were 35 points ahead of Team New Zealand.
For the 2008–09 season, A1GP introduced a brand new car. It was called the Powered by Ferrari A1GP car. This meant the cars used engines and designs from the famous Ferrari company.
Sadly, the 2009-10 season faced big problems. The first race was cancelled just five days before it was supposed to start. This was because the series had serious money troubles. None of the planned races for that season ever took place. The race cars and other equipment were stuck in London due to legal issues. More races were cancelled, and on 5 November 2009, it was announced that races in China and Malaysia would not happen.
The last race that was supposed to be held in the season, the Dutch round, was changed to a different racing series. This ended all hopes for the season to start. It also put the future of the entire A1 Grand Prix series in doubt, and it eventually stopped running.
Champions
Here are the champions of the A1 Grand Prix series:
| Season | Champion | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 |  France(Alexandre Premat • Nicolas Lapierre) |
 Switzerland(Neel Jani • Giorgio Mondini) |
 Great Britain(Robbie Kerr • Darren Manning) |
| 2006–07 |  Germany(Nico Hülkenberg • Christian Vietoris) |
 New Zealand(Matt Halliday • Jonny Reid) |
Great Britain (Darren Manning • Robbie Kerr • Oliver Jarvis) |
| 2007–08 | Switzerland (Neel Jani) |
New Zealand (Jonny Reid) |
Great Britain (Oliver Jarvis • Robbie Kerr) |
| 2008–09 | Ireland (Adam Carroll) |
Switzerland (Neel Jani) |
 Portugal(Filipe Albuquerque) |
| 2009–10 | season cancelled | ||
Teams in A1GP
In A1 Grand Prix, each team represented a specific nation. This was a key part of the series. The drivers who raced for a team had to be from that same country. The team's car also showed the country's colors and symbols.
However, the team owner, the main boss, and the crew members did not have to be from that country. Their job was to make sure the national team performed its best.
Twenty-nine different nations took part in at least one A1GP race.
| Africa | Americas | Asia | Europe | Oceania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| bold represents an active team in the 2008–09 season | ||||
Drivers in A1GP
Notable drivers
Many talented drivers raced in A1 Grand Prix. Some of them later became famous in other racing series like Formula One or IndyCar. Here are some of the notable drivers who competed:
- Sébastien Buemi (2009–2010)
Karun Chandhok (2010)
Robert Doornbos (2005–2006)
Tomáš Enge (2001)- Ralph Firman (2003)
Christian Fittipaldi (1992–1994)
Patrick Friesacher (2005)- Nico Hülkenberg (2010)
- Narain Karthikeyan (2005)
Vitantonio Liuzzi (2006–2007, 2009–2010)- Max Papis (1995)
- Franck Montagny (2006)
Hideki Noda (1994)- Nelson Piquet, Jr. (2008–2009)
Scott Speed (2006–2007)- Adrian Sutil (2007–2010)
- Jos Verstappen (1994–2003)
Alex Yoong (2001–2002)
- Marco Andretti (2006–2010)
Ryan Briscoe (2005–2010)- Adam Carroll (2010)
- Robert Doornbos (2009)
- Tomáš Enge (2004–2006)
- Bryan Herta (2003–2006)
- Ryan Hunter-Reay (2007–2010)
- Bruno Junqueira (2008,2010)
- Darren Manning (2004–2009)
- Raphael Matos (2009–2010)
- Vitor Meira (2002–2010)
- Franck Montagny (2009)
- Will Power (2008–2010)
- Graham Rahal (2008–2010)
- Buddy Rice (2002–2008)
Tomas Scheckter (2002–2009)
How a Race Weekend Worked
| Pos. | Points | Prize | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint | Feature | Sprint | Feature | |
| 1 | 10 | 15 | $100,000 | $200,000 |
| 2 | 8 | 12 | $70,000 | $130,000 |
| 3 | 6 | 10 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
| 4 | 5 | 8 | $35,000 | $75,000 |
| 5 | 4 | 6 | $30,000 | $50,000 |
| 6 | 3 | 5 | $20,000 | $40,000 |
| 7 | 2 | 4 | $15,000 | $25,000 |
| 8 | 1 | 3 | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| 9 | 2 | $7,000 | $13,000 | |
| 10 | 1 | $3,000 | $7,000 | |
| Fast lap | 1 | 1 | ||
| Only the best 9 race weekends count | ||||
An A1 Grand Prix race weekend lasted for three days, from Friday to Sunday.
Qualifying Sessions
On Saturday afternoon, there was a two-hour qualifying session. This session decided where each car would start on the grid for Sunday's races. The driver chosen for qualifying had to have practiced at least once.
The grid for the Sprint Race was based on the fastest lap times from the first two parts of qualifying. The grid for the Feature Race was based on the times from the third and fourth parts.
Sunday Races
Two main races took place on Sunday.
The Sprint Race was held in the early afternoon. This race started with a rolling start, meaning the cars were already moving when the race began. It lasted for a maximum of 24 minutes plus one extra lap. Each team had to make one mandatory pit stop during this race.
The Feature Race was held in the mid-afternoon. This race started from a standing start, where cars are still when the race begins. It was longer, about 180 kilometers (around 112 miles). The maximum time limit was 69 minutes plus one lap. Teams had to make two mandatory pit stops during the Feature Race.
Pit Stops and Points
During a pit stop, all four tires on the car had to be changed. However, teams were not allowed to add fuel to the car.
In A1GP, drivers did not score points for themselves. Instead, the points they earned went to their national team. This meant that teams could change drivers between races and still keep adding points to their total score for the season.
Points and cash prizes were given to the top ten teams in each race. Also, one extra point was given to the team that set the fastest single lap time in either the Sprint or Main Race.
Cars and Engines
The A1GP series used a special rule called a "single spec" car. This meant that every team used a car that was exactly the same. All the cars were mechanically identical. This rule was put in place to make the racing fair. It helped reduce costs for the teams. It also stopped any one team from getting an unfair advantage by having better equipment. Because all cars were the same, success depended mostly on the driver's skill and the team's hard work.
The A1GP cars were based on the Formula One Ferrari F2004 car design. They used special slick tires made by Michelin. The cars had a powerful 4.5-liter Ferrari/Maserati V8 engine. This engine could produce up to 600 horsepower (447 kilowatts) when using a special PowerBoost mode.
Images for kids
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A race in action at the Sepang International Circuit.
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A1 Team Pakistan and their driver Adam Khan during a pit stop.
See also
In Spanish: A1 Grand Prix para niños
