2005–06 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Portugal
| 2005-06 A1GP of Portugal | |
|---|---|
| Race Details | |
| Race 3 of 11 in the 2005-06 A1 Grand Prix season | |
| Date | October 23, 2005 |
| Location |
Autódromo do Estoril Estoril, Portugal |
| Weather | Fine, 20 °C |
| Qualifying | |
| Pole |
 Brazil (Nelson Piquet Jr) |
| Time | 3'01.316 (1'30.561, 1'30.755) |
| Sprint Race | |
| 1st |
 France (Alexandre Premat) |
| 2nd |
Brazil (Nelson Piquet Jr) |
| 3rd |
 Switzerland (Neel Jani) |
| Main Race | |
| 1st |
France (Alexandre Premat) |
| 2nd |
Switzerland (Neel Jani) |
| 3rd |
 Ireland (Ralph Firman) |
| Fast Lap | |
| FL |
France (Alexandre Premat) |
| Time | 1'31.106, (Lap 23 of Main Race) |
| Official Classifications | |
| Prac1 ·Prac2 ·Prac3 ·Qual ·SRace ·MRace | |
The 2005–06 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Portugal was an A1 Grand Prix race, held on the weekend of October 23, 2005 at the Autódromo do Estoril circuit.
Friday was affected by inclement weather, which saw the morning test sessions and practice held in wet conditions due to rain. Local star Álvaro Parente set the quickest time in the first test session, one of two additional timed 40 minute runs that allowed teams to obtain the best set ups on their cars. Parente set a time of 1'54.918, but this was soon eclipsed by series leaders Brazil as Nelson Piquet Jr set a 1'51.916 during the second test.
The track was still slightly damp for the first practice session, but A1 Team France, who won both races in the previous round continued their impressive form with Alexandre Premat setting the fastest time - a 1'33.024. Adrian Sutil, driving for A1 Team Germany came in second in his debut outing, setting a 1'33.700 after 17 laps. Czech driver Tomáš Enge was a mere 0.034 seconds behind, while Australia's Will Davison made a successful return to the car to set the fourth fastest time. The top 5 was rounded out by Brazil, Piquet completing 18 laps on his way to 1'34.085.
The rain returned prior to the commencement of the second practice session, and it was delayed by 25 minutes to allow areas of standing water on the circuit to clear. This ensured that times were considerably slower than in the previous session, but Premat was still able to come out on top, setting a 1'52.037 after just 5 laps to finish over 1.5 seconds ahead of second-placed Piquet. Portugal continued to perform well at home to set the third fastest time, followed by Switzerland and USA. Australia decided not to compete in the session due to their concerns about the track conditions.
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