A1 Racing

A1 is the new and exciting racing championship to hit the globe! The A1 'World Cup', as it has been dubbed, will showcase nations competing against each other, instead of individual drivers and constructor's teams, like in F1. It will be the first time fans can support their national racing team to win the season. The A1 franchise is hoping to attract a whole new set of racing fans, perhaps even those who have never watched a race before, to support their national racing teams and learn about racing.

This new A1 racing championship is a brainchild of Sheikh Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum, a member of Dubai's ruling family. The racing calendar will feature a much more international line-up of racing circuits, compared to that of F1, which is more Europe-centred. A1 will feature races in tracks in countries like South Africa, Indonesia, Portugal and Mexico. There will be some overlap in tracks, such as Shanghai in China and Sepang in Malaysia. And although there is a slight overlap in racing schedule in the beginning - as F1 finishes it’s season in early October -, A1 will run a 12-weekend calendar from September to April. This means that racing fans can enjoy year-round racing now.

A1 will not be another F1, and the founders of A1 contend that they are not competing with F1. The cars for one are very different. Many criticize that F1 has become a race of technology. A1 levels the technological playing field, with all teams basically using the same car, engine and tyres. This means that there is more emphasis on the driving skills of the driver than the technology of the car. Also, the point-scoring system is different from F1. A1 will give points to both the so-called 'Spin Race' (i.e. the qualifying race) and 'Main Race', as well as giving a bonus point for the driver with the fastest lap time, either in the Spin Race or Main Race. This means that drivers and teams will be pulling all stops for both races, which means more excitement for fans.