A1 Team Switzerland heads to the penultimate round of the inaugural A1 Grand Prix series at Laguna Seca, California determined to keep its championship hopes alive with new driver Giorgio Mondini. 25-year-old Mondini takes over from Neel Jani for the final two rounds of the A1 Grand Prix season as Jani has taken up his driving responsibilities with Formula One team Scuderia Toro Rosso.

A1 Team Switzerland currently lies second in the championship on 121 points, 32 points behind A1 Team France.

"I will arrive as early as Monday in San Francisco to acclimatize I'm determined to fight my jetlag in a record time," Giorgio Mondini said. "Representing my country in this new series is a real honour and I'm so proud that we are in an excellent second position in the championship and in with a chance of winning. I have only driven
the car for a few laps in Paul Ricard this summer at the test session. But I'm sure it'll be a really interesting race and I'll be doing everything I can to keep us in with a chance of the championship. I’ve been training very hard in preparation especially for the demands of racing on an anti-clockwise circuit. I’m focused, relaxed and
fit so I am feeling confident for this weekend."

Max Welti, team principal, A1 Team Switzerland comments: "I would like to welcome Giorgio Mondini to the team. It's a great responsibility to represent your country and to defend your own flag as well as to discover racing in a new series on a new track. I’m sure that Giorgio will get to grips with everything very quickly and we will help him as much as possible. It should be an exciting weekend and in any case it's quite flattering that both our drivers this season Jani and Mondini will be seen in F1 in 2006."