A1 Team Austria


The A1 Team Austria was the Austrian representative team in A1 Grand Prix. The team competed only in the 2005–06 A1 [Grand Prix season|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. Lauda's son, Lukas, officially ran Lauda Motorsport Management who worked with other teams such as Scuderia Coloni. Their entry to the championship was announced ahead of the first race, along with A1 Team Italy and A1 Team Japan.
Ahead of the 2006-07 season, A1 Team Austria withdrew from A1 Grand Prix along with Japan, Russia and Portugal.

Drivers

During their one season in the championship, the A1 Team Austria employed Mathias Lauda and Patrick Friesacher as their drivers.
NameSeasonsRaces
A1GP TitleWinsSprint
wins		Main
wins		2nd3rdPolesFastest
Laps		Points
Patrick Friesacher2005-061 3
Mathias Lauda2005-0610 11

2005-06 season

The season began poorly for A1 Team Austria, with no points scored until the 3rd round in 2005–06 A1 [Grand Prix of Nations, Portugal|Portugal], where Lauda finished 10th in the feature race meaning a single point was gained. At the following two rounds, the car would suffer retirements in both sprint races. In 2005–06 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, [United Arab Emirates|Dubai], Lauda finished 7th in the feature race scoring 4 points for the team. He would score another 7th-place finish at the South African race, next time out.
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. Lauda would return for the final two rounds of the season in 2005–06 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, [United States of America|America] and China, scoring points at Laguna Seca.
At the end of the season, A1 Team Austria scored 14 points and were classified 19th in the championship.

Complete A1 Grand Prix results

, "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
2005-06Team RosbergLola,
Zytek,
Cooper Avon		Mathias Lauda20111315161019Ret18Ret17716713Ret129Ret131419th
2005-06Team RosbergLola,
Zytek,
Cooper Avon		Patrick Friesacher1091419th