Piccione explains: “I had to pass a test for two hours being examined by my trainer the European champion, his friend who is world champion, and also the guy that is French champion. I had to fight them all in different techniques. We've been doing this for four years to help my racing.”

Biting that hand that feeds

A1 Team Netherlands' Robert Doornbos was not the only member of the team having a good Easter Saturday on a race track.

While he was setting pole for the Feature race, the team's other star driver, Jeroen Bleekemolen, was winning back home at the track where the 2008/09 started, Zandvoort.

However, it was not only Bleekemolen who was racing there because the team's seat holder, Jan Lammers was also behind the wheel.

I am not sure whether it was a good thing for Bleekemolen to actually beat his team boss, but this he did with his Corvette coming second in the GT4 race and Lammers' Mustang sixth.

Who ever heard of such an injury?

The chiropractor at the Portimao circuit was surprised when called to the garage of A1 Team Italy's newcomer, Vitantonio Liuzzi, to be told he had to fix what was a dolphin-related injury.

It seems the driver had not been attacked by one of the usually friendly animals, but needed some neck massage after being in the cold water a tad too long at a pre-race PR event.

The A1GP lady who organised the event was relieved this was not due to a randy mammal – the drivers had been kept waiting while the Zoomarine staff changed dolphins for the event after noticing some amorous signs from the two already in the pool!

If the shoe fits

Speaking of Liuzzi, one of the most common questions he faced over the course of the weekend was whether he had been checking his star signs recently or was indeed worried about driving over cracks in the asphalt.

You see, drivers are a superstitious bunch at the best of times, and when he walked around the pit lane in a pair of non-matching shoes, the assumption was that this was just an eccentricity.

But this was more a case of bad luck, rather than good… “I'm not supersticous,” he insisted.

“It's just because there was a problem with the right shoe of a new pair that had I had brought especially for this event. I had to use an old one to drive because there was something not made properly.”

Learning your Ana, Bia, Cs

One the most confusing things in the pre-race build up was the identity of Brazilian female rookie.

Many thought that the return of former rookie Bia Figueiredo had been announced, while some were arguing that the position had actually gone to Indy Lights race winner Ana Beatriz, after she signed on in race control.

Well, to clear up any confusion, it's, er, the same person. Ana 'Bia' Beatriz Caselato Gomes de Figueiredo has run with both names in A1GP, but now prefers to run under her American name Ana Beatriz, and the A1GP press office duely obliged.

Want to find out more about her? You can go to her personal website www.biafigueiredo.com.