Meira to race for Brazil in China

The 30-year-old will replace Bruno Junqueira, who will have to miss the race due to a clash with the Champ Car race at Long Beach.

Team boss Emerson Fittipaldi said that he has chosen Meira due to his experience, although the Panther Racing driver admitted to being surprised by the offer.

"It was an unexpected invitation to run with Team Brazil in Shanghai, but I accepted with pleasure," said Meira.

"I've been following A1GP as much as I can, and the series has quite a bit of interest in the USA. It will be an honour to represent my country."

Fittipaldi has been pleased with the team's form in recent rounds, as they have moved back towards the front of the grid with the help of Junqueira.

"Bruno did a great job for us, and the improvement we made in Mexico was fantastic," he said.

"Vitor is a talented and experienced driver, and I'm sure he will keep the driving level very high."

The double Formula One world champion also feels that the team can rediscover the form that enabled them to dominate the first ever A1GP event at Brands Hatch in 2005.

"I think we are reaching the level of excellence we had in the team in the early races of last season with Nelson Piquet Jr," he said.

"These last two races are very important for Team Brazil as we want to start the next season with confidence."

The team have also confirmed that female driver Bia Figueiredo will drive for them in the rookie sessions this weekend.