Qualifying System Revealed

A1 Grand Prix qualifying has been designed to fit into a two-hour broadcasting slot on the Saturday of each race weekend and will comprise four, fifteen-minute sessions.

The teams, each representing a different nationality, will complete only one flying lap in each of the four sessions. The fastest two will be added together to determine the grid positions for the series' sprint race.

The fifteen-minute sessions will be separated by ten minutes, allowing for broadcasters to fit in commercial breaks.

Because the inaugural A1 GP championship will only rank individual countries rather than drivers, teams are allowed to race with a different driver from the one who qualified. This providing their time in practice was within 102 per cent of the practice time of the driver who qualified.

A1 GP manager Stephen Watson told Autosport-Atlas: "This system will guarantee action for the broadcaster and the fan. Our broadcasts will be able to update the fans with the live grid instantly.

"It isn't a confusing system because the non-motorsport fan will just want to know where their country is and we will be able to give them that. The enthusiast will be able to get involved in the detail. It also introduces the drama of traffic and when to choose when to go out within that fifteen minutes."

The finishing order for the sprint race will determine the starting grid for the feature race, which will include a mandatory pitstop.

Autosport-Atlas has learnt other aspects of the sporting regulations for the series.

Only five sets of tyres will be allowed per race weekend, with tyre manufacturer Cooper only bring one dry and wet compound to each race.

The sprint race will include a rolling start, while the grid will start the feature race from standing.

The series winner will win one million US dollars. The top ten in each race will also receive money on a sliding scale, ranging from 300,000 USD for the win to 10,000 USD for tenth place.

The cars will not have race numbers, but will be known on timesheets by their three letter abbreviations: GBR for Great Britain, MEX for Mexico, etcetera. The country that wins the series will be allowed to write their three letters in gold in the following season.