A1 Team Austria Explained

Team Name:A1 Team Austria
Flag Name:Austria
Country:Austria
Founded:2005
Seat Holder:Lauda Motorsport Management
Drivers:Mathias Lauda, Patrick Freisacher
First Race:2005-06 Great Britain
Events:11
Championships:0
Sprint Wins:0
Main Wins:0
Poles:0
Fastest Laps:0
Total Points:14

The A1 Team Austria was the Austrian representative team in A1 Grand Prix. The team competed only in the inaugural season of the championship.

Ownership

A1 Team Austria was owned and operated by Lauda Motorsport Management. The management team included Niki Lauda and Keke Rosberg, both former Formula 1 World Champions. Whilst the team was racing for Austria, Team Rosberg, based in Germany operated the race team.[1] Lauda's son, Lukas, officially ran Lauda Motorsport Management who worked with other teams such as Scuderia Coloni.[2] Their entry to the championship was announced ahead of the first race, along with A1 Team Italy and A1 Team Japan.[3] [4]

Ahead of the 2006-07 season, A1 Team Austria withdrew from A1 Grand Prix along with Japan, Russia and Portugal.[5]

Drivers

During their one season in the championship, the A1 Team Austria employed Mathias Lauda and Patrick Friesacher as their drivers.[4] [6] [7] [8]

NameSeasonsRaces
(Starts)
A1GP TitleWinsSprint
wins
Main
wins
2nd3rdPolesFastest
Laps
Points
Patrick Friesacher2005-061 (2)3
Mathias Lauda2005-0610 (20)11

2005-06 season

The season began poorly for A1 Team Austria, with no points scored until the 3rd round in Portugal, where Lauda finished 10th in the feature race meaning a single point was gained.[9] At the following two rounds, the car would suffer retirements in both sprint races. In Dubai, Lauda finished 7th in the feature race scoring 4 points for the team.[10] He would score another 7th-place finish at the South African race, next time out.[11] [12]

Lauda would be replaced for the Mexican race by former Minardi F1 driver, Patrick Friesacher. Friesacher would finish 10th and 9th in the two races, A1 Team Austria's first double points scoring race weekend.[13] [14] [15] Lauda would return for the final two rounds of the season in America and China, scoring points at Laguna Seca.[16]

At the end of the season, A1 Team Austria scored 14 points and were classified 19th in the championship.

Complete A1 Grand Prix results

(key), "spr" indicate a Sprint Race, "fea" indicate a Main Race.

YearRacing
team
Chassis,
Engine,
Tyres
Drivers12345678910111213141516171819202122PointsRank
2005-06Team RosbergLola,
Zytek,
Cooper Avon
GBR sprGBR feaGER sprGER feaPRT sprPRT feaAUS sprAUS feaMYS sprMYS feaARE sprARE feaZAF sprZAF feaIDN sprIDN feaMEX sprMEX feaUSA sprUSA feaCHN sprCHN fea1419th
Mathias Lauda20111315161019Ret18Ret17716713Ret129Ret13
Patrick Friesacher109

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Preview: A1 GP Ready for Kick-Off. Autosport. 14 August 2022.
  2. Web site: Coloni Teams Up With Lauda Sport Management. thecheckeredflag.co.uk. 14 August 2022.
  3. Web site: Austria, Italy and Japan join A1GP. Motorsport. 14 August 2022.
  4. Web site: A1 GP: Drivers, Seat Holders and Race Teams. pitpass.com. 14 August 2022.
  5. Web site: The Lost Series: A1GP World Cup of Motorsport: Part 3: Changes at the top, popularity decreases and the first problems appear. gptoday.net. 14 August 2022.
  6. Web site: Patrick Friesacher is A1’s seventh ex-F1 driver. pitpass.net. 14 August 2022.
  7. Web site: Stoddart and Lauda join Mercedes. Motorsport. 14 August 2022.
  8. Web site: The 'World Cup of Motorsport' is announced. gpfans.com. 14 August 2022.
  9. Web site: 2005 Estoril A1GP. Motorsport Magazine. 14 August 2022.
  10. Web site: 2005 Dubai A1GP. Motorsport Magazine. 14 August 2022.
  11. Web site: Lauda looking forward to racing again. pitpass.com. 14 August 2022.
  12. Web site: Race result: A1 Grand Prix, Race 14 of season 2005-2006 in Durban. Speedsport Magazine. 14 August 2022.
  13. Web site: Monterrey: Team Austria preview. Motorsport. 14 August 2022.
  14. Web site: Feature Race Mexico. Motorsport. 14 August 2022.
  15. Web site: Spring Race Mexico. Motorsport. 14 August 2022.
  16. Web site: A1 Team AUSTRIA - A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Laguna Seca, California, USA. Automobilsport. 14 August 2022.