A1GP news

Netherlands qualify in eighth

A1 Team Netherlands will start the A1GP Sprintrace at Eastern Creek from an eighth grid position. In the four qualifying runs this afternoon Jeroen Bleekemolen set an aggregate time of 2'37.455 (1'18.922+1'18.533). The A1 Team Netherlands driver drove his two fastest laps in the final two qualifying runs.

The team started the day with an eighth place in the final free practice session. Contrary to the rain of yesterday morning it was very warm and sunny today at the circuit just outside Sydney and the temperature rose further when qualifying started at 14.15 hours local time.

In the first qualifying run Jeroen Bleekemolen set a seventh fastest time. A1 Team Netherlands dropped some places after segment two, but a number of changes sorted the wanted effect and after three runs the team was back in eighth again. In the fourth and final qualifying run the temperate dropped slightly due to some clouds and immediately Bleekemolen managed to improve further on his fastest lap. In the end the gap with Germany, which took pole, was 1.230 seconds on aggregate.

A1 Team Netherlands driver Jeroen Bleekemolen; "In the final run we had the best set up for the car so far and we were reasonably there as far as times go. In the beginning we just had not enough grip, suffering a lot from oversteer. It kept getting better and in the end it did not go too bad at all. We are still behind, but at least we are closer then yesterday and this morning I think. The track also became quicker. Everyone who had a lear flying lap went faster. Overtaking will be difficult here, I think that during the Sprintrace not much will happen, you really have to try to do something at the start. In the Feature race certainly a lot can happen, also because there were a number of people going off in qualifying. I hope that we can make up some there."

A1 Team Netherlands team manager Dave Stubbs; "Off course we had hoped to end up higher, but in the end eighth place isn't too bad. We have managed to improve the car every session. At the end of the third segment the car was pretty good and we decided to leave it like that for the final run. In the end we also found some time in sector one, where we had been losing time earlier."

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