Pakistan
As the track temperature at Sepang International Circuit soured to an incredible 39 degrees Celsius, Adam Khan and A1 Team Pakistan gave a positive performance in the first practice session of the day, with a time of 1:57.393 (170.0 Kph), placing him 7th fastest overall. Adam was quickly on the pace with his fastest lap set on lap four of eighteen. The first practice session was topped by ex-Formula One driver Jos Verstappen, A1 Team Netherlands, with a time of 1:56.342 (171.5 kph).
The hot weather conditions put additional strain on the driver and tyres and with 15 turns to negotiate on the Malaysian circuit, it's important to achieve the correct set-up with the A1 racing car that provides good balance but is easier on tyre wear. With the combination of hot track conditions and used tyres, many teams were unable to improve on their practice times from the first session including Adam who finished the second session 18th overall with a fastest time of 1'58.066 (169.0 Kph). The fastest lap of the second session was set by A1 Team Ireland's Ralph Firman, another former Formula One and Speang racing driver, with a time of 1:56.663 (171.0 kph).
Following two one-hour practice sessions, Adam Khan said: "I've proved that I can be quick here, with the times that I set in the first session. In the second session, with the new brake pads, I only completed four laps as I wasn't happy with the car. I left the garage again to go back out on track only to find that the track conditions had changed with the onset of rain. I'm looking forward to getting back up to speed in the final practice session tomorrow, ready for qualifying."
David Sears, A1 Team Pakistan Team Principal added: "We tried a different set of A1GP supplied brakes pads in the second session, which turned out not to be suitable for Adam's style of driving. We'll revert back to the original brake pads tomorrow which I am sure will prove positive for tomorrow's qualifying. With a good qualifying session tomorrow I'm confident Adam can achieve a top-ten finish."
Brazil
The A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Sepang got off to an encouraging start for A1 Team Brasil today when Nelson Piquet Jr recorded the second fastest time overall from the two free practice sessions, his time inbetween those set by the Team Netherlands and Ireland drivers, Jos Verstappen and Ralph Firman, both of whom have raced at the circuit before. The team concentrated today on adapting the car to suit the Sepang track, which is a smooth, high-speed circuit with fast corners.
In this afternoon's first one-hour practice, Team Brasil was immediately on the pace. Nelson topped the table for the first quarter of the session with a time of 1:56.351, but was pipped by the Team Netherlands entry of Jos Verstappen, who set a time just 0.009s faster. That time remained unbeaten for the practice and so Team Brasil had to settle for second. With the Team Ireland entry of Ralph Firman finishing third, the indication was that those with experience at Sepang would do well this weekend, although Nelson proved the potential of the team with his lap time on a track he has never driven on before. Nelson's session ended twelve minutes early when he spun while passing the Team Canada car. Nevertheless, he still completed 12 laps for the team, and finished with a very good lap time. In the second session this afternoon, lap times were slower than the first practice. Nelson completed seven further laps and set a fastest lap of 1:57.344.
Team reserve driver Tuka Rocha will this weekend compete in the Proton Celebrity Race, which is a support race to the A1GP. Tuka finished fastest in this afternoon's practice session, competing against the likes of Alan Jones, Jan Lammers, Sheikh Maktoum, and Pippa Yoong, who is the sister of Alex Yoong.
Nelson Piquet Jr: "The day has been okay, it could have been better. I am not happy that I spun in the first practice, although we were quick which was good. I was on a normal lap and Canada was on an outlap. I saw him and when I removed the throttle, I lost control of the car and spun. Unfortunately I hit him although there was not any damage to our car. It took a long time to get the car off the track so we couldn't go out again. I think our main concern again this weekend is the tyres, which has been the problem for a few weekends now. In qualifying we do well on new tyres but then the tyres seem to go quite quickly and then we start to oversteer. I think for qualifying tomorrow we will be fine but my concern is for the race."
Emerson Fittipaldi: "We are trying to adapt the car to the track. It's very loose and understeering at the moment although in the second session there was an improvement in the behaviour of the car. Tomorrow morning we will make a decision on the set-up. Nelson was good today, he was quick on his first time at the circuit and inbetween Verstappen and Firman, who have both raced here before."
Austria
It was a mixed day for A1 Team Austria during the two free practice sessions that marked the start of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Sepang. Mathias Lauda, driving for the team, was encouraged with the morning performance and made steady progress throughout the session, but he was then unable to take part in
the second hour-long session after he suffered a problem with the car's engine, which was only installed yesterday.
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