A fortnight after visiting Chengdu in China, the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport moves to Malaysia for the third round of the championship. The event will take place at the Sepang International Circuit, with Felipe Guimarães set for action with A1 Team Brazil. After showing extremely promising pace last time out in China, Brazil is determined to convert this potential into points in Malaysia.
Felipe will embark on his third event for the team this weekend and will face the unique challenges of the Sepang Circuit. The 5.54km track is the widest used on the A1GP calendar, promoting overtaking on a circuit which features a combination of fast corners at the back and tighter sections elsewhere on the track. The team will also have to cope with the stifling weather conditions, which are a true test of man and machine, with temperatures into the 30’s and humidity around the 80% mark.
After showing brilliant pace in Chengdu, despite the technical problems which prevented any results, Felipe is aiming for a strong points finish this weekend. In the Chengdu Sprint race, the 17-year-old Brazilian set the second fastest lap of the race, just one hundredth of a second slower than Ireland’s Adam Carroll, the eventual race winner. This pace, combined with Brazil’s record at Sepang, which includes a fine third place podium at last year’s Feature race, has the team resolute that its championship will get well underway in Malaysia.
Felipe Guimarães: “We obviously had some technical issues in China but I took away a positive in that our pace was good. Having the second fastest lap, just a hundredth slower than the fastest lap in the Sprint race gives us confidence that we can run with the fastest teams and drivers. I hope this weekend that everything will come together. If we can run a solid race I am sure we can get good points, which has to be the aim in Malaysia.”
Emerson Fittipaldi, Team Principal: “Felipe was very quick in China and I received very positive feedback from the team. It was a real shame that the problems we had meant we couldn’t show our potential. We had a very good set-up on race day in China so that gives us a good start for Malaysia. Felipe has some good experience now and I think we will be very competitive at the weekend. It will be crucial to make the most of free practice and then do well in qualifying, as that is a key factor in A1GP. I am looking forward to getting some good points on the board.”
| 
|