A1 Team Lebanon, the first ever national racing team to represent the country in international motor racing, took to the race track at Brands Hatch today for the first day of the inaugural A1 Grand Prix race weekend. Completing two practice sessions, the team’s two drivers, Basil Shaaban and Khalil Beschir, each took a turn behind the wheel for A1 Team Lebanon. Shaaban drove the A1 race car in the first session, with dry weather providing the young Lebanese with a good opportunity to gain more experience with the car and familiarize himself with the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. For the second session the weather changed drastically, with heavy rain at the start. Beschir took over driving duties, but the rain, and a number of red flags due to track incidents, forced him to a limited number of laps.

Shaaban started the session well, posting lap times just outside of the top ten. As the session progressed, he dropped back, with the more experienced drivers starting to show their form, finishing 18th fastest as the session concluded. He reflected on his day, saying, "It’s been a special day for me. Leaving the pitlane with the Cedar tree behind me was quite an emotional moment, although as soon as I was out on track, I was focused on gaining more experience of the car and learning the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. The team has certainly improved the car since our last test at Paul Ricard and I feel more comfortable with the car each time I am behind the wheel. "

 Beschir was disappointed to have limited track time, but remained upbeat after the session, saying, "I struggled to put together a good lap, because the weather was very bad, and due to red flagged incidents. I started to get quicker, but I had to return to the pits a number of times because of the red flags. It was difficult, but I did experience the A1 race car in the rain, which maybe useful for Sunday if it rains!"

Beschir, completed only 12 laps, recorded 20th fastest time.

Team Principal, Tony Snook, added, "Basil ran in good conditions this morning and drove consistently, while Khalil suffered from appalling weather which made it difficult for him to settle in and put a clean lap together. All in all, a reasonable day, but I think, for whichever driver we select, tomorrow will be a tougher day. There is only one more practice session, then we go into four qualifying flying lap runs. Tomorrow is forecast to be dry, so I hope we’ll
have a better idea of how competitive we are."