A1 India aims for a better showing

NEW DELHI: Buoyed after its sixth place finish at Sepang, A1 Team India heads to Zhuhai, China, hoping to garner a few valuable points in the race which promises to be a level playing field for the teams coming weekend.

Despite the not-so-impressive show in the qualifying, Narain Karthikeyan drove well and picked up a few places during the Feature race. The team now hopes to improve the qualifying set up at Zhuhai and move further up the grid.

A1 GP’s debut at Zhuhai offers plenty of potentials for overtaking and two long straights of 900 and 500m. This should be a thrilling debut on a level playing field as none of the teams have ever driven the 4.3 km circuit and all 22 A1GP drivers will be taking on the unknown, keen to learn the new track as fast as possible.

What puts the side on an even keel is the fact that they would have no previous data to rely on when setting up the car, putting a lot more emphasis on the rookie driver and developing nations’ practice session on Friday.

However, A1 Team India rookie driver, Parthiv Sureshwaren, who last drove on this circuit for the Formula Asia Championship in 2000, sounded upbeat.

“It is a great track for overtaking. There are a few long straights, hair pin bends and fast corners. Otherwise, it is a very flat track. However, set-up is crucial as there needs to be a compromise between straight line speed and downforce,” he said.