Machdar Motorsports recruits former Formula One stars for new championship
Drivers in the inaugural i1 Supercar Series will include 1997 Formula One Champion Jacques Villeneuve, 2011 Formula One drivers Vitantonio Liuzzi and Karun Chandhok, and former Formula One race winners Giancarlo Fisichella, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jean Alesi. Apart from the international drivers, the Indian drivers include Armaan Ebrahim, Aditya Patel and Parthiva Sureswaren.
Darshan M, CEO, i1 Super Series also announced the FIA approved calendar for the series with the first race to be held in Sepang, Malaysia on 22nd January 2012.
He said, “This is a big moment for us as we confirm our drivers and calendar for the inaugural season. As promised we have a fantastic line-up of proven international race winners mixed with young Indian drivers.
“The drivers had their experience of the Radical SR3 today at the Yas Marina Circuit and we will work closely with them to make the car even better. We are also proud to announce that we will have two women on the grid, who will comprise one team.”
There will be a driver pool of 27 drivers with 18 drivers being chosen for each race weekend. The drivers for each race weekend will be chosen by the teams themselves and at least one driver for each team must be of Indian origin. Other drivers confirmed for the series include former Formula One drivers Sakon Yamamoto, Alex Yoong, Red Bull demo driver Neel Jani and former Ferrari and Sauber driver Mika Salo.
The series will arrive in Abu Dhabi from 9th to 10th March 2012.
i1 Supercar Series is the all new motorsport racing league promoted by Machdar Motorsport. The i1 Supercar Series will consist of ten races with nine teams representing different Indian cities. The inaugural i1 Supercar Series season will be held in Malaysia, Bahrain, Qatar, India and UAE. The teams will race the Radical Sportscars’ SR3 roadster. Teams will compete for a $2 million prize.
