A1 Team France Finished In 4th Place Overall

A1GP

May 04, 2008

A1 Team France finished the 2007-2008 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in 4th place overall.

Franck Montagny bagged an additional 7 points today at Brands Hatch (England) in the last 2 rounds of the season with 8th and 5th places. This was not enough to fend off Great Britain’s late charge, and the British team scored 27 points on home turf snatching 3rd place overall in the championship. The 2007-2008 title goes to Switzerland (128 points), ahead of New Zealand (127 points) and Great Britain (126 points).

A1 Team France scored 118 points this season. It finished in the top 10 on 15 occasions out of 20 starts with 7 podium placings including a victory. The team used 3 experienced drivers: Loïc Duval, Jonathan Cochet and Franck Montagny. Nicolas Prost was the test driver throughout the year.

The team is now getting down to preparing for the next championship, which will have an entirely new car. Following an agreement signed between A1GP and Ferrari, the engine of
the new machine will be designed and built in Maranello, while the chassis will be constructed on the recommendations of the prestigious Italian make. It’s already tomorrow!

Olivier Panis, sporting director:

“We finished the championship in fourth place. It’s a good result in the circumstances, as the A1GP single-seater needs a lot of experience to get the best out of it. Both Jonathan Cochet and Franck Montagny, who came after Loïc Duval at the end of the season, needed more time to be 100% competitive. We had a tough second part of the championship. After scoring ninety-six points up to the Australian round, we were only able to increase our total by twenty-two in the next nine races, and we slipped back. Despite that we were in contention for the title up to the second-last event. Our team remained united and was competitive right up till the end and I’d like to congratulate them for that. Congratulations too to A1 Team Switzerland on their 2007-2008 title. We’ll be back in September to take our revenge!”

Franck Montagny:

“We knew we could score points twice this weekend – and we did! Unfortunately, we weren’t able to topple New Zealand, and Great Britain’s exceptional performance robbed us of a place in the top three. We can return home satisfied knowing that we did everything possible. I’d like to thank the team for its support and professionalism. Taking part in the A1 Team France challenge has been a unique experience that I’ll never forget.”