As soon as the red lights went off, Carroll – who also scored Team Ireland's first win in the series in Mexico last season – took an early lead and extended his time-advantage lap after lap until the finish line. He eventually crossed the finish line 2.3 seconds ahead of his nearest rival Robert Doornbos. The Dutch driver finished his debut A1 GP race on an astonishing 2nd place after starting from the first line of the grid.
“The Sprint race really went to plan and once I'd fended off Robert into turn one it was all about putting the head down and focusing on my own race. I was delighted at the way we were able to turn fast, consistent laps through to the end and a lights to flag win with fastest lap is the elusive full house. It's a great achievement for us all,” said Carroll after the race.
Doornbos, former rookie of the year in the ChampCar Series in 2007, congratulated his team for his first podium in the series and expressed his enthusiasm on scoring some important points for Team Netherlands at his very debut.
“This feels good of course, it's the best feeling you can make. We started strong, only missed the pole by six thousand and the race was the same way. We left each other at the beginning of the first bend life, which is important because there is still a race to go. But I'm happy with second place. I think we had a strong race pace in comparison with the rest of the field, we can be proud of this result,” insisted Doornbos.
Danny Watts, another 'rookie' in the series, secured 3rd place overall for Team Great Britain at his very debut, as he managed to stay strong ahead of Team Switzerland's Neel Jani in the dying laps of the Sprint Race. “It's a great result, and a great reward for all the hard work that all the boys have put in throughout the week,” agreed Watts before the Feature Race.
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