Germany is well-and-truly back – that is the message in A1GP, after Christian Vietoris emulated the achievement of his compatriot Michael Ammermüller by registering his breakthrough triumph in the nation vs nation series in the Taupo feature outing.
The reigning champions endured a low-key start to their title defence in the 2007/08 campaign, with a sixth-placed finish their best result from the opening three meetings. That, though, was before Ammermüller suddenly hit form in Zhuhai last month, and Vietoris' similar success in New Zealand this weekend has propelled Germany up into fourth spot in the nations' standings – and right back into the hunt for overall honours.
“It was a really brilliant weekend for us,” enthused the 18-year-old, who had started from the front row of the grid after finishing as runner-up in the earlier sprint. “The car was a little bit off the pace on Friday, but we improved all weekend and were on the pace for qualifying and the sprint race this morning.
“The team did two good pit-stops in the feature which put me to the front and held me there. It was really hard to keep Loïc Duval behind me, especially on the long back straight, but we managed to hold position and I am very happy.”
Indeed, occupying the second step on the podium was not Duval, but rather Robert Wickens, who converted fourth spot on the grid into both his and Canada's best result of the season. The 18-year-old series rookie had been belatedly awarded third place in Malaysia following a penalty for Ammermüller, but the Taupo result marked his first ‘true' rostrum finish.
“We're definitely making steps in the right direction,” Wickens affirmed, “from our first race in Zandvoort to where we are now. The car has improved a lot and the team finally got a decent result that we all deserve.
![Team Germany's Christian Vietoris celebrates his breakthrough A1GP success in the Taupo feature race [pic credit: A1GP Media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/403133.jpg)
