Interview with Adam Carroll

They chalked up their first victory in Mexico last year, though just three more podiums followed as they struggled to hit the front on a regular basis.

But that's all changed from the start of this season, with a win from pole position in China two weeks ago and another pole today Carroll and Ireland lie just five points off the series lead.

After today's qualifying session he talked to autosport.com about his improved form and how, in A1GP, he can at least challenge for a championship in a top flight single-seater series.

Q. You seemed to make the most of the power boost in qualifying, how was the lap for you?

Adam Carroll: "We chose to use the boost in the last segment of qualifying because I'd never had a feature race pole and I really wanted to go for it. It was a good lap, quite tidy. I wanted that quite badly today so I'm happy."

Q. You won from pole in the sprint race at Chengdu two weeks ago, how difficult will it be to repeat that in the feature race tomorrow given the heat and humidity?

AC: "It's very, very hot and we don't really get a chance to live, or test, or train in these conditions. You've just got to drink a lot of water and give yourself the best chance. We'll see who can last.

"Last year was 37 degrees I think and it feels more like 40-something today, but this is when all the preparation and training comes in. There's only so much you can do at home to prepare for this - unless your gym lets you put a bike in the steam room!

"You have to do whatever you can to make your body more prepared for the conditions and to keep as hydrated as possible. Hopefully tomorrow will be a very physically demanding race, I'm up for that."

Q. You took a while to get up to speed when you joined A1GP last year, what's changed that's allowed you to be at the front from the start this season?

AC: "We got there in the end last year. I had expected to get to the front quicker than that, but you come here and you learn that it's hard. It's really tight and there are a lot of good drivers here - a lot like me that just don't have the budget for other single-seater series.

"There are also a lot of ex-F1 people in the teams and that pushes the level really high. I've no doubt that these guys could run a car competitively in any championship, even Formula One - this is a good place to show what the team can do as well as the drivers.

"It took me a bit of time to get everything right here. It's very different from GP2 and that took a bit of adjusting. The old car was a bit of a step back from what I was used to, but the new one is much more like it. It suits me better and this season it will just get quicker and quicker as we learn more about it. We put on a good show with it and the racing is hard fought, it's all very positive.

"We've been able to make a very good start to the season. It's been good since day one in the car and hopefully we can keep on fighting for the championship. Last year the main thing that was missing was consistency, even from day to day or from one set of tyres to the next.

"The difference between being good and winning a championship is often just consistency. This new car has so much more feel and it's very consistent to work with. It really gives the drivers a chance to show what they can do - and that's what I've been looking for for years."

Q. After struggling for a full-time drive with a top team for the last few seasons, you must be thrilled to be making a career of A1GP?

AC: "It's been a good long time that I've been trying to get to race without having to worry about money, and not knowing whether I'll even be at the next race. I'm in a good place now, I'm more patient, I'm fitter than ever, I'm old enough and experienced enough that I know what's necessary. I know what challenges will come up and I've got experience in racing or testing F1 cars, Champ Cars and GP2 cars behind me.

"A1GP is great for me. Of course I would have loved to be able to fight for the GP2 championship, but I'm now in a situation that I've been trying to get into for years. For drivers like me, that have had to do it the hard way and dig deep, this is a great opportunity and when it comes you're stronger for it.

"If you have the money and backing, you could go and spend 1.5 million Euros on a season elsewhere, or here you can be a professional driver and get paid to do a job. Not only do you get to race in a series like this, but you earn a living doing it.

"It has unique challenges too, very different and tricky circuits. We've just gone from Chengdu which is a little, bumpy kart track to here where it's big, fast and wide-open - that's a big challenge and the good drivers will always adapt to that and be at the front. But the times are so close, just a few tenths between the guys at the front, hopefully that will prove to the rest of the motorsport world out there that this is a top championship and the opposition is always very strong.

"I'm pretty happy now, we've just got to keep it up."