A1GP: First Official Test At Silverstone - Malaysia 3rd!

Silverstone, U.K. - 04 August 2005 - As the first A1 Team Test Session came to a close, the excitement and anticipation for a competitive first season grew between A1 Teams and Seat Holders as the top 14 drivers recorded fastest lap times separated by less than two seconds.

Over the course of the two days, three sessions were held involving 15 A1 Teams. It proved a largely trouble-free session with drivers and engineers all commenting on the reliability of the A1 Car.

A1 Grand Prix Founder, President and Chairman, Sheikh Maktoum said: "I'm very satisfied with today's results. All the Seat Holders, drivers and engineers are happy with the way the car has performed over its first Test Session. The competitive spirit of the Teams has emerged, while the unity of the Series has been retained. We are looking forward to the next test at Paul Ricard, and it should get more and more exciting as new Teams join the Series."

A1 Team France recorded the fastest lap of the two-day session this morning, slicing 0.705 seconds off yesterday"s fastest lap time set by A1 Team Great Britain. A1 Team France driver, Alex Premat commented: "The A1 car is nice and easy to drive, it has a good gearbox, the engine is great and the car is very reliable. We've worked on the car set up and dampers and it has responded well to the changes.I'm very pleased to have the fastest lap time of the session and I'm looking forward to driving again at Paul Ricard."

A1 Team Malaysia Seat Holder and driver, Alex Yoong summed up the two day session saying: "The test went well with the car performing well throughout. A1 Grand Prix has done a brilliant job, and it looks like this will be a fantastic Series.Everyone is very enthusiastic and looking forward to the first race. It will be extremely competitive and the race will reward the Team that is most consistent."

A1GP SILVERSTONE TEST - 3RD & 4TH AUG 2005
Day 2 - Afternoon Session Results

1. France 48.251
2. Brazil 48.439
3. Malaysia (Alex Yoong) 48.535
4. Netherlands 48.766
5. Portugal 48.835
6. Great Britain 48.953
7. Pakistan 49.046
8. New Zealand 49.088
9. South Africa 49.115
10. Mexico 49.226
11. Switzerland 49.422
12. USA 49.514
13. Australia 49.675
14. Lebanon 49.876
15. China 50.640