However, it seems lady luck is preventing any team from earning the coveted double wins on a weekend. Doornbos retired with an electrical problem before the second race even began. Instead Neel Jani for team Switzerland tasted victory yet again, a great come back after finishing out of the points in the first race.

At the start of the Sprint race, Robert Doornbos of Netherlands leads Vitantonio Liuzzi of Italy into turn one. Team Ireland's Adam Carroll can be seen in third. Photo by xpb.cc.

Vitantonio Liuzzi had qualified the team Italy car on pole for the Sprint. The test driver for the Formula One team, Force India, was happy to find something to do during the new F1 season testing ban. Alongside was Robert Doornbos, who races in the IndyCar Series in America but crosses the pond when he can represent his team for the Nations Cup. It was down to these two very professional drivers to lead the field at the standing start of the Sprint race.

At the first flash of green Liuzzi launched off the line and instantly started to squeeze Doornbos to the inside. Surely this was not the best idea as the Netherlands car was able to start straight and clean while the Italian Ferrari was trying to move forward and sideways at the same time. Sure enough as both cars angled wide for the first turn it was Doornbos with the advantage and he never looked back.

Further back in the field Lebanon was mixed up in two incidents that eventually brought out the red flag. First Daniel Morad made contact with the New Zealand car, sending Earl Bamber out of the running. The aero damage meant the Lebanese car was turning like a two ton truck exactly when Andre Lotterer in the Germany car tried to pass on the outside. There was nothing Morad could do as he helplessly smacked the rear tire and suspension off the German car. The Lebanon Ferrari would live for one lap before retiring itself.

Not much changed at the restart and it wasn't until the pit window opened that the top three were shuffled. Doornbos was in and out with the lead intact but both Adam Carroll for Ireland and Portugal's Filipe Albuquerque was able to leapfrog Liuzzi, the Italian team having a terrible stop. Meanwhile Jani stayed out and is credited with leading for a few laps, unfortunately according to the officials the Swiss entry was out too long and Jani had to observe a stop-and-go penalty, dropping them down the order.

	Race winner Robert Doornbos, driver of A1 Team Netherlands. Photo by xpb.cc.

The race came to a premature end on lap 13 when Brazil and South Africa came together. The Brazilian team later explained it was brake failure that caused Felipe Guimaraes to run over the lapped car of Adrian Zaugg. The race was then scored up to lap 11 with Doornbos first, Carroll second and Albuquerque third to the delight of the local fans. Ireland earned an extra point for fastest lap.

"From first practice onwards we were aiming for this," said Doornbos. "The target is the big one though, and that is where we've got the pole so we're in a strong position for this afternoon. To get my first win for the team is great and it keeps us in the championship hunt as well, so it's good.

"I got a good run on Antonio (Liuzzi), at the safety car restart and I pulled away with a nice gap and then afterwards cruised it home so it was a good morning. I came especially for this race. It is the last one I can do this season for A1 Team Netherlands so I'm very keen on making my mark and to leave with some fireworks this afternoon."

Fireworks indeed, the Netherlands electrical woes on the Feature grid caused quite a show of smoke and fire, perhaps Doornbos should have chosen his words a bit more carefully. A disappointing end of the season for the Indy car driver, Jeroen Bleekemolen will pilot the Netherlands car for the rest of the season.

With Netherlands off the pole it was Ireland in the best spot with their rivals Switzerland right behind. With Jani failing to finish in the points compared to Carroll's second in the Sprint race the pendulum shifted back to Ireland's favor for the Nations Cup. At the start Carroll jumped off the line and was soon over a second ahead of Jani. Sure enough this was too good to be true, the Celtic Tiger was brought in to serve a penalty for jumping the start. This handed the lead to Jani, who kept the lead trough the first round of pitstops. Meanwhile behind the Switzerland car a traffic jam behind the South African car finally ended in tears when New Zealand was a bit to desperate to get past.

Filipe Albuquerque of Portugal leads Neel Jani of Switzerland. Photo by xpb.cc.

The safety car came out and Albuquerque lined up right behind Jani. At the restart the crowd went wild as their local driver stormed past Switzerland for the lead. The excitement was short lived as the safety car came out yet again after USA and Italy made contact, collecting Team Monaco in the chaos. The second restart and Portugal was able to hang on to the lead but Jani was all over his gear box.

In the second round of stops Portugal was held up exiting the pits and watched their hard earned lead disappeared and Jani took command once again. After all the restarts and pit lane mistakes from other teams, Ireland found themselves in third, having recovered from the penalty. Carroll would eventually find a way past Albuquerque and even pressured Jani before the checkered flag. So the order looked to be Switzerland taking victory after a terrible Sprint race, Ireland with their second podium and fastest lap of the day and Portugal earning back-to-back third places. Sadly India almost finished fourth before a wheel bearing sent Narain Karthikeyan spinning.

"There was everything in it (the race)," explained Jani. "Coming from third, having second, then to the pit stop and getting the lead, losing the lead and having Adam really put me under pressure at the end. We were a bit lucky today and we were very unlucky yesterday so it's a balance.

"On the restart he (Albuquerque) caught me down the straight and I just thought I can't hold it, so don't fight him too much and just try to get him on the second pit stop, which worked well.

"I saw cars going off and I thought 'oh that's another position for Adam coming from the back'. I think it was a great race for us. We can be really happy with what we have achieved today. I had to fight quite hard because Adam (Carroll) was really quick and Portugal too, so I think it will be between the three of us in the end."

	Race winner Neel Jani, driver of A1 Team Switzerland. Photo by xpb.cc.

Local hero Filipe Albuquerque talked about his race, "It was very hard at the beginning. We then had a really poor pit stop -- another car was coming and didn't let me out. I still pushed with the new tyres, but I was really disappointed with the third stint -- I think the pressures were too high on the tyres.

"I am very proud and coming from P7 I was very lucky and had to fight a lot. I was in the middle of all the battles. I lost my left mirror so I couldn't see the crash between New Zealand and South Africa. I am pleased to get a podium. It's good for the standings in the championship. Getting two podiums on home soil is just perfect."

After the conclusion of the Feature race, Team Ireland was handed a 25-second penalty for passing the Australian car under a safety car period. Carroll and Ireland are now scored as finishing in fifth place. Third was then awarded to Fairuz Fauzy of Team Malaysia.

"Taking our third podium finish of the season today is a good result for us," said Fauzy. "It has moved us into sixth place of the overall standings, but we're only three points behind France, so we can fight for this as well. We had a good car and this, combined with our teamwork and a strong race strategy -- and a little bit of good fortune - ensured we took a top three spot."

Carroll was quick to give his side of the story, "We had two good races and everyone saw how strong we are. The Sprint Race went according to plan, and that 2nd place was fine. In the Feature Race I knew the car had rolled a little on the grid but I definitely did not start until the lights went out. After we got the drive through penalty I just put my head down and we climbed back to 2nd - so I am very disappointed we got a 25 second penalty. What happened at the Safety Car restart was that everyone in front started to brake, slow and fan out - Australia pulled across suddenly, and slowed, and I did the safest thing which was to keep going. If we'd all hit the brakes there'd have been a motorway-style accident. Not much of a choice."

The raw data now shows Switzerland in the title lead over Ireland by two points. Portugal is four points further back. However, this year each team must drop their worst weekend, which tentatively puts Ireland on top and Switzerland second. It's no surprise that these three teams stood on the podium at least once today. With the Netherlands entry well over twenty points behind in fourth, it will be one from this trio that ends this A1GP season as champion. The next event in Brands Hatch could be make-or-break for any of them. Catch the action on the first weekend of May.

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