The second season of A1 Grand Prix has already got off to a flying start, with event organisers experiencing an overwhelming demand for tickets for the first race in The Netherlands on 1 October. Additional grandstand tickets released this week have already been snapped up by enthusiastic fans, with over 50,000 tickets sold so far.

Grandstand tickets for the race at Zandvoort Circuit Park sold out in just five days, leaving event organisers trying to increase grandstand capacity. At a meeting with A1 Grand Prix last week, management at the Zandvoort circuit and A1 Team Netherlands agreed to build extra grandstands to help address the shortfall in spectator seating and increase the capacity of others.

Several thousand additional grandstand tickets were put on sale on the A1 Grand Prix web site on Tuesday 18 April. However, within a matter of hours, many of these extra seats had sold out.

With most of the grandstand seats gone, a huge number of fans will be desperate to purchase General Admission tickets and get a place in the Dunes for a chance to see the A1 Cars in action around the Dutch circuit.

Speaking about his team’s home race, Jan Lammers, seatholder of A1 Team Netherlands said, ‘I’m delighted that A1 Grand Prix has been received so enthusiastically in Holland, and the huge support that A1 Team Netherlands has here is reflected in the overwhelming demand we have seen for race tickets. The Zandvoort circuit and community, together with A1 Team Netherlands and A1 Grand Prix are putting together a great event for the whole weekend, with parties and events all over the city. I can’t wait for October when we have the chance to race in front of grandstands packed with patriotic fans.’

Chairman of A1 Grand Prix, Sheikh Maktoum said ‘Hopefully these extra grandstand seats will go some way to addressing the huge demand for tickets that we have experienced so far. Our expectations that this race would be received well in Holland have proved to be correct, and I think we can expect a great season opener when A1 Grand Prix arrives in Zandvoort for the race on 1 October.’

Ecclestone told BBC Sport he had agreed to ex-racing driver Harry Stiller's proposal of a "joint venture".

But he did not clarify what that meant and rejected co-promoting the race.

"Stiller asked: 'Could we have a joint venture?' I said: 'Yes, I'm happy to do something where we lose money together or make it together,'" Ecclestone said.

Stiller approached Ecclestone because he was opposed to the plan by Silverstone's owner the British Racing Drivers' Club to finance the redevelopment of the track by leasing it to a property developer for 150 years.

BRDC chairman Stuart Rolt has admitted the plan is so unpopular it has little chance of being accepted by members.

Stiller has come up with a new redevelopment proposal, which would guarantee the British GP for 10 years.

His idea is for the BRDC and Ecclestone would share the costs of upgrading the circuit and split the profits from gate money and sponsorship and advertising revenues but all the assets would be retained by the BRDC.

In typically enigmatic style, Ecclestone added that he had "no agreement with Harry Stiller. I'm not going to be a promoter.

"Whether I could be Silverstone's promoter or not is academic, I'm not going to be.

"Silverstone have a contract and it's very clear - they've known exactly what the conditions are for a very long time. My name gets linked to so many things that aren't true - another one doesn't make a lot of difference."

The BRDC and Ecclestone signed a contract last December, securing Silverstone's role as the host of the British Grand Prix until 2009.

The contract requires the track to undergo a multi-million-pound redevelopment to bring it up to contemporary F1 standards.

Michael Schumacher showed that Ferrari could be a force in this weekend's San Marino Grand Prix, whcih marks the start of the European leg of the championship.

Schumacher set the fastest lap of 1:24.751 in the first practice, completing a total of four laps - two when you take into account a warm up and cool down lap.

In the afternoon session, defending race champion Fernando Alonso was quickest in a time of 1:25.043. The Spaniard failed to set a time in the first practice, electing to go out for three tours of the circuit before parking it in the garage to preserve the Renault engine.

Schumacher finished 3-10ths of a second behind Alonso in the afternoon session with BMW-Sauber test driver Robert Kubica third quickest followed by Honda test driver Anthony Davidson and Ferrari driver Felipe Massa rounding out the top five.

Giancarlo Fisichella in the second Renault, which is fitted with a brand new engine this weekend, was sixth fastest, followed by Toyota's Jarno Trulli. The top seven drivers were all within a second of the best time set by Alonso.

Williams test driver Alexander Wurz set the eighth fastest time with Juan Pablo Montoya in ninth and BMW-Sauber's Nick Heidfeld in 10th.

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve was 15th fastest in a time of 1:26.797, which was 1.7-seconds off the pace set by Alonso. Villeneuve was among a handful of drivers who failed to set a time in the opening practice.

SECOND PRACTICE

Pos  Driver        Team                     Time              Laps
 1.  Alonso        Renault             (M)  1:25.043           15
 2.  M.Schumacher  Ferrari             (B)  1:25.371 + 0.328   13
 3.  Kubica        BMW-Sauber          (M)  1:25.421 + 0.378   31
 4.  Davidson      Honda               (M)  1:25.699 + 0.656   31
 5.  Massa         Ferrari             (B)  1:25.879 + 0.836   16
 6.  Fisichella    Renault             (M)  1:25.991 + 0.948   15
 7.  Trulli        Toyota              (B)  1:26.029 + 0.986   24
 8.  Wurz          Williams-Cosworth   (B)  1:26.328 + 1.285   31
 9.  Montoya       McLaren-Mercedes    (M)  1:26.334 + 1.291   15
10.  Heidfeld      BMW-Sauber          (M)  1:26.387 + 1.344    7
11.  Button        Honda               (M)  1:26.427 + 1.384   12
12.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes    (M)  1:26.500 + 1.457   16
13.  Barrichello   Honda               (M)  1:26.653 + 1.610   19
14.  Albers        MF1-Toyota          (B)  1:26.783 + 1.740   24
15.  Villeneuve    BMW-Sauber          (M)  1:26.797 + 1.754   13
16.  Doornbos      Red Bull-Ferrari    (M)  1:26.917 + 1.874   27
17.  Rosberg       Williams-Cosworth   (B)  1:26.989 + 1.946   10
18.  Liuzzi        Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M)  1:27.128 + 2.085   24
19.  Webber        Williams-Cosworth   (B)  1:27.157 + 2.114    6
20.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Ferrari    (M)  1:27.503 + 2.460   12
21.  Monteiro      MF1-Toyota          (B)  1:27.544 + 2.501   20
22.  R.Schumacher  Toyota              (B)  1:27.639 + 2.596    5
23.  Speed         Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M)  1:27.719 + 2.676   25
24.  Klien         Red Bull-Ferrari    (M)  1:27.990 + 2.947   12
25.  Jani          Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M)  1:28.361 + 3.318   21
26.  Mondini       MF1-Toyota          (B)  1:28.833 + 3.790   27
27.  Sato          Super Aguri-Honda   (B)  1:29.870 + 4.827   23
28.  Ide           Super Aguri-Honda   (B)  1:31.042 + 5.999   20

FIRST PRACTICE

Pos  Driver        Team                     Time              Laps
 1.  M.Schumacher  Ferrari             (B)  1:24.751            4
 2.  Wurz          Williams-Cosworth   (B)  1:25.132 + 0.381   19
 3.  Kubica        BMW-Sauber          (M)  1:25.942 + 1.191   24
 4.  Davidson      Honda               (M)  1:26.012 + 1.261   27
 5.  Trulli        Toyota              (B)  1:26.417 + 1.666    7
 6.  Doornbos      Red Bull-Ferrari    (M)  1:26.498 + 1.747   18
 7.  Massa         Ferrari             (B)  1:26.596 + 1.845    4
 8.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Ferrari    (M)  1:26.678 + 1.927    7
 9.  Raikkonen     McLaren-Mercedes    (M)  1:26.938 + 2.187    5
10.  Albers        MF1-Toyota          (B)  1:28.048 + 3.297   13
11.  Speed         Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M)  1:28.498 + 3.747    6
12.  Mondini       MF1-Toyota          (B)  1:28.969 + 4.218   20
13.  Klien         Red Bull-Ferrari    (M)  1:29.106 + 4.355    6
14.  Jani          Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M)  1:29.695 + 4.944   13
15.  Monteiro      MF1-Toyota          (B)  1:29.697 + 4.946   13
16.  Liuzzi        Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M)  1:30.348 + 5.597    6
17.  Sato          Super Aguri-Honda   (B)  1:31.217 + 6.466   17
18.  Ide           Super Aguri-Honda   (B)  1:31.482 + 6.731   17
19.  Alonso        Renault             (M)   no time            3
20.  R.Schumacher  Toyota              (B)   no time            1
21.  Fisichella    Renault             (M)   no time            2
22.  Montoya       McLaren-Mercedes    (M)   no time            1
23.  Heidfeld      BMW-Sauber          (M)   no time            1
24.  Villeneuve    BMW-Sauber          (M)   no time            1
25.  Barrichello   Honda               (M)   no time            1
26.  Webber        Williams-Cosworth   (B)   no time           
27.  Rosberg       Williams-Cosworth   (B)   no time
28.  Button        Honda               (M)   no time