Jani edges Driver of The Day vote

Neel Jani won one of the most passionate and fiercely contested Driver of the Day polls so far this season – beating Mexico City Feature race winner Adam Carroll as the fans’ choice.

After a record number of votes and comments on A1GP’s Fan Zone, Jani gathered 43 per cent in the poll, beating Carroll by just over three per cent.

The pair were the clear leaders among the five drivers short-listed for the Mexico City award, with the reasons behind the choices fiercely debated on A1GP.com’s Fan Zone message board.

The battle between the two was unsurprising, because both had been involved in one of the key moments of the Feature race. A1 Team Ireland made a quick pit stop, helping Carroll’s emerald green car to leapfrog Jani’s Swiss machine after the stops. However, Jani earned a drive-through penalty for his pit exit, having run down half the pit lane alongside Carroll, a practice not allowed in the rules.

As is the norm in A1GP, national pride took centre stage, and fans took the sides of either Carroll or Jani.

James Foley, for example, wrote: ‘There have been times when Ireland were quick this season but inconsistent, partly through no fault of theirs. But everything gelled in Mexico - perfect set-up, perfect pit stops and a faultless and determined drive by Adam. It just showed what a world class driver he is.’

cap-dude concurred: ‘Throughout the race Adam was always on the pace, and always there to strike with great in and out laps, as well as perfectly timed pit stops.’

However, plenty of people came out in support of Jani, just enough to win him the vote. Despite his four race victories this season, it is the first time he has won the Driver of the Day vote.

danmichalik wrote: ‘Jani did some superb driving and I thought he was particularly unlucky to get a penalty. He had a six-second lead before the safety car came out. If that hadn't happened no-one would have got close to him. I'm sure Switzerland will win the championship anyway if Jani continues to drive as well as he has been..’

‘My vote goes to Neel Jani,’ continued wimis. ‘His car is not fast on its own, it is him with the help of the team that makes it happen, though his perfect understanding and feedback gets him consistently in the top five.’

But Rusty Shackleford perhaps had the best comment, summing it up by saying: ‘Neel Jani is the best thing to come out of Switzerland since the Toblerone.’

Mexico City Driver of the Day results

43.1% Neel Jani (A1 Team Switzerland)
39.7% Adam Carroll (A1 Team Ireland)
7.5% Jonny Reid (A1 Team New Zealand)
5.4% Oliver Jarvis (A1 Team Great Britain)
4.3 % Jonathan Summerton (A1 Team USA)

a1gp.com