A1 Team Brazil today took part in free practice for round six of the 2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at the new Portimao circuit in the Algarve, Portugal.

Unfortunately for Brazil, the rookie practice session was stopped for a lengthy period after a huge accident befalling Bia. She went straight on at the first turn after suffering a brake failure, scrubbing off little speed before crashing into the tyres headfirst. The safety cell of the A1GP Powered by Ferrari car stood up well to the crash, and Bia was able to walk from the car unaided. Investigations are now underway as to the cause of the failure.

Unfortunately the car sustained considerable front end damage and so Felipe Guimaraes was unable to run in the afternoon session.

Bia Figueiredo: “It was a shame. I was getting used to the car and the track and we were enjoying a good session. On one corner the brakes were fine but then when I tried to brake the next time, with no warning, the rears were gone. It was a big crash but I’m fine and actually I was impressed because I actually thought there would be more damage to the front than there was. The track was slippery and green when I first drove but we were continually improving. The track Is difficult, with a lot of blind corners, but it’s really good to drive.”

Emerson Fittipaldi, Team Principal: “I always say there are two things that should never fail on a racing car and that is the steering wheel and the brakes. They are investigating what went wrong now because we have to make sure that is not going to happen again. You can always repair a racing car but I am just happy that Bia was not injured. The team is making a very good effort now to prepare the car for tomorrow.”

Felipe Guimarães: “It’s disappointing not to get in the car today because it’s new for all of us and it looks pretty difficult. I’ve spoken to Bia though and will look at all the data from today. Tomorrow we’ll have the car ready to go and new tyres so I will just aim to learn the track fast and prepare for qualifying.”

Free Practice 1a (Bia Figueiredo) – Laps: 12 – Position: 12th – Fastest Lap: 1:43.047 (+8.900)
Free Practice 1b (Bia Figueiredo) – Laps: 9 – Position: 12th – Fastest Lap: 1:40.334 (+5.371)
Free Practice 2 (Felipe Guimarães) – Laps: N/A – Position: N/A – Fastest Lap: N/A