2006 Hungarian Grand Prix - Race Report
For the second consecutive race, Midland Formula 1 Racing
enjoyed solid reliability and competitive pace on its way
to a two-car finish at the most exciting and chaotic Hungarian
Grand Prix in recent memory.
Tiago Monteiro survived continuously changing weather conditions
to earn the team's second top ten result of the season, with
teammate Christijan Albers following him home in 11th position.
Although the event began in rain-swept conditions, it began
to dry midway through the race, creating havoc for many of
the top runners. After changing to dry tyres, Christijan demonstrated
the M16's ever improving pace by setting the 8th-fastest lap
of the contest.
The race team now returns to Silverstone to prepare for the
Turkish Grand Prix in three weeks' time.
Tiago Monteiro (POR), Car #18 (Chassis: M16-03)
Starting Position: 16th
Classification: 10th, 67 laps completed (+3 laps)
Fastest Lap: 1:28.178 at 15:54:53, 13th overall (+4.662 from
fastest lap of the race)
Quote: "Obviously, it's great for the team to get another
top 10. We were hoping for conditions like this to try and
get some points, but unfortunately for us, there are lots
of reliable cars out there and we still need a little bit
more luck to be able to do that. But in the end, it was a
good race. I think we had a great strategy, especially with
the tricky conditions. It was very, very difficult to drive
initially and I made a lot of mistakes at the beginning of
the race. It's inevitable when you're trying so hard to push
and find the limits in such slick conditions. But once I got
settled, the car balance was pretty good and I have to thank
the team for giving me a stable and reliable car that could
bring me to the finish."
Christijan Albers (NED), Car #19 (Chassis: M16-02)
Starting Position: 22nd
Classification: 11th, 67 laps completed (+3 laps)
Fastest Lap: 1:26.117 at 15:56:26, 8th overall (+2.601 from
fastest lap of the race)
Quote: "We made the wrong tyre choice at the beginning
of the race. I don't know why; we must analyse why this happened.
I was just too slow on our standard wets and I took too long
overtaking Tiago early in the race. The pit stops and traffic
were always a problem and I kept having to race off line.
But when I finally got on to dry tyres, I was able to push
and put in some reasonable lap times. The overall pace is
definitely getting better, so I'm feeling positive for the
races ahead."
Colin Kolles, Managing Director: "Unfortunately, we didn't
score any points today. We struggled in the rain at the beginning,
and I think that's what cost us. Otherwise, toward the end,
we had quite competitive lap times. Christijan put in the
8th-quickest lap and Tiago, as usual, did a solid job to bring
the car home in difficult conditions. Today, we just needed
a bit more luck. or more laps - either would have helped"
Dominic Harlow, Chief Race and Test Engineer: "We
got cool, calm drives from both Tiago and Christijan for a
good two-car finish, especially in light of the conditions
we had. We took a chance with Tiago under the safety car,
which seemed to work well for him. Chris making two stops
in a race like that was also the right way to go. In the end,
I guess we ultimately didn't have the speed to take points
today. We'll do an aero test in three days and following that,
begin our preparations for Turkey."
Johnny Herbert, Sporting Relations Manager:
"It was good to get to the end and earn a top 10 finish,
but it's a shame we lost so much time in the wet. Hopefully,
we can keep closing ground on our rivals and convert our pace
and reliability into some points in the coming races."
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