Death knell nears for A1GP series
After a diminished field raced in Holland last weekend, amid a raft of last-minute rule changes, serious questions are being asked about whether the self-styled 'World Cup of Motorsport' can survive its fourth season.
A spokesperson last week said the absence of six teams was simply the result of build delays with the series' new powered-by-Ferrari car, but Team Germany chief Willi Weber said financial holdups could mean the squad does not return to the grid at all.
The Indian publication DNA, meanwhile, claims that the CEO of a majority stakeholder in the series has been removed for bad investments.
Da Silva links A1's problems with the global financial crisis.
"It has affected everyone," he said. "There has been a massive downturn and it would be foolish to say that we have remained insulated from it. We are facing the pinch like every other industry.
"And yet, we are hoping to get a return of investments by the end of this year. A1GP is in good health," Pete da Silva added.
He said comparisons with formula one, or its feeder category GP2, are unfair.
"A1GP is like the world cup of football. It's a nation versus nation contest. Besides, our footprint is much larger than GP2," he remarked.
10/03/08 (GMM) As a diminished field gathers for the first race of the fourth season in Holland, serious questions are being asked about the future of the A1GP series.
Bursting onto the scene as the self-proclaimed World Cup of Motorsport three years ago, the category is now beset with problems.
Delays in the completion of the new Ferrari designed and powered car meant that the season opener scheduled for Mugello was cancelled.
Now, as practice prepares to kick off in Zandvoort, five team countries – Britain, India, Germany, Mexico and Canada – are absent.
And according to the Dutch press, the future of five more teams – Brazil, China, France, Portugal and Switzerland – is in doubt.
"We put our hands up," said a series spokesperson, according to Press Association. "To design, build and test 23 cars in just 11 months, we were always going to be up against it."
Willi Weber's Team Germany, meanwhile, looks unlikely to return to the series at all.
"(2006-7 champion) Nico (Hulkenberg) is still waiting for his prize money. I have written ten reminder letters," Weber, who famously managed Michael Schumacher's F1 career, told the Cologne newspaper Express.
The A1 spokesperson, meanwhile, played down suggestions the series' problems could prove terminal.
"As far as we are concerned we don't anticipate anything other than a full grid for the following race.
"We would have liked 23 cars on the grid this weekend, but despite that, we will still put on a great show and go racing for the championship, as we will in years to come," she said.