Ex-Formula One driver Ralph Firman has paid tribute to his Ireland team, claiming they deserve a final flourish to the inaugural A1 Grand Prix season.
Firman heads into the penultimate round of the series at Laguna Seca in California this weekend down in ninth in the standings.
Despite the lack of results, Norwich-born Firman has been one of the regular pace-setters in A1GP and feels the time has long since passed for Ireland to be rewarded for their hard work.
Firman, whose crash in Mexico two weeks ago ruined yet another weekend, said: "I, along with the rest of the team, have been extremely frustrated with the results in recent races.
"It has been one thing after another, and it's high time we saw a change in our fortunes. Everyone who watched the Mexico race saw how hard the guys worked to repair the car after the accident.
"The results have not been up to our usual standards and we have all been left hugely disappointed with how things have turned out.
"While obviously we have to reflect on things and learn from them, I can honestly say I think we are one of the best teams out here and we thoroughly deserve to have things work out this weekend."
