Massive step: Adrian Zaugg and A1 Team South Africa's new car (www.a1gp.com)

The new A1GP season, which starts at Zandvoort in Holland on the weekend of October 4-5, sees the debut of the series' new 'Powered by Ferrari' car.

The partnership forged with what is arguably motor racing's most recognisable name sees the 'World Cup of Motorsport' branching out as it enters its fourth season.

The new car, inspired by Ferrari's 2004 Formula One chassis and producing 600+bhp worth of power, replaces the Lola chassis and Zytek engines hitherto used.

Danny Watts is in the position of being able to compare the two, the former A1 Team Great Britain rookie having tested the old chassis-engine combination before being recently asked to try the new machine.

Here he gives his thoughts on the new car and what A1GP fans might expect when the new season gets underway...

"A1GP is going to take a massive step forward this season. The A1GP Powered by Ferrari car is bold and striking. But from what I've experienced, everyone has put a massive amount of effort in and it is an excellent car.

"And I'm not just saying that because A1GP asked me back to test the new car. I really mean it - and I'll tell everyone who asks me too. The new car is such a pleasure to drive and it should race well.

"I had several good runs in it, in both wet and dry conditions, and I must say, it is a step up in every department.

"There is noticeably more power, and it feels very smooth all the way through the torque curve. From a driver's point of view this makes the car really drivable, in every gear and in every rev range. That was a real positive for me. The gear shift is still a paddle shift operated on the steering wheel, and it's very easy to use and very quick.

'So much more grip'

"In terms of aerodynamics, it's another move up. It just has so much more grip in the high speed corners. I remember how the old car handled at one particular corner at Silverstone - Copse. I would have to change down a gear to fifth, but in the new car I was taking it in sixth gear with just a tiny bit of brake. But with more tuning and a bit of set-up work it would only need just a slight lift of the throttle. It has that much grip.

"The last car had steel brakes, but the carbon fibre brakes used in the new car are a big difference. Not only because the braking distances are much, much shorter and they, by their very nature, perform better, but also because the aerodynamics mean that you can brake later and deeper into the corner than before. That is especially true going from a high speed straight into a low speed, second gear corner.

"I also got to try out the PowerBoost button - and let me tell you - it is going to be fantastic to watch. It's probably going to be a difference of about 60bhp and it really could be crucial in a passing move. It handles pretty much the same as the last system and it makes a big difference.

"If you get a good exit out of a corner, then it will definitely be worth pressing the PowerBoost button and you should be able to pull up alongside another car, if not get by them.

"People will worry that the carbon brakes will mean shorter braking distances and that it could be harder to overtake, but because you have more power in general, it will mean it is far easier to make a mistake exiting a corner, simply because you have that grunt to control. This will give drivers the chance to come up alongside and overtake into the next corner.

'Immense potential'

"I was told my lap times were about two seconds per lap quicker than they were in the multi-car test session last year. But I wasn't working on performance. That previous best was done by the teams having had two years development time on the first generation car. If it is a lap two seconds quicker now, with the development that the teams will put it under in the heat of battle, I'd say there is another two to three seconds to be found. It could be about four to five seconds per lap quicker - and that's even being realistic rather than just saying any number. The potential to go quicker than the old car is immense.

"I also got a good run in the wet and I couldn't believe the amount of grip the Michelin tyres produced. I did a run where it was damp in places but drying, and normally in conditions like these I would expect those sort of tyres to get chewed up, however, they still had a huge amount of grip, which was particularly noticeable in the high speed corners.

"Overall, the car was very, close to where it should be in terms of set-up - the basic balance of the car is very, very good.

"For those drivers that had experience of the old car, I'd say they would have to treat it like its older brother. They will need to give him respect and learn what they can from him. You can brake later, you can go faster in the high speed corners because of the greater aerodynamic downforce, and faster in the slow speed corners because of the improved mechanical grip. But the power hike is such that you have to be careful coming out of slow speed corners and applying the throttle.

"In terms of general driving pleasure it was just excellent. I can't say that enough. Roll on season 2008/09."

Source - www.a1gp.com