2006 German Grand Prix - Preview
Encouraged by the progress made during three days of comprehensive
testing in Jerez, Spain, Midland Formula 1 Racing heads to
Hockenheim for Round 12 of the 2006 FIA Formula 1 World Championship
- the German Grand Prix.
The M16 race cars at this event will feature an evolution
of the revised front suspension geometry that debuted previously
in France, further updates to the rear suspension, and some
aerodynamic developments that were successfully evaluated
at last week's test.
Although nowhere near as long or fast as it was during its
original 8-km configuration in 1939, the modern Hockenheimring
has been a popular circuit among drivers since becoming the
permanent home of the German GP in 1977. Despite undergoing
extensive modifications in 2002 that eliminated its long,
sweeping runs through the forest, the current 4.574-km-long
track still possesses enough high-speed sections and technical
corners to allow for several overtaking opportunities.
Tiago Monteiro (POR), Car #18: "I`m
looking forward to Hockenheim, as I like the atmosphere at
the circuit. It`s probably the best in the world, especially
for the spectators in the stadium section. Even as a driver,
you can`t escape the enthusiasm and I`m hoping there will
be plenty of fans there, even if most of them will be cheering
for a certain German driver! It`s likely to be a very hot
race that will be tough on tyres and drivers, especially if
we reach the temperatures we had in Magny-Cours again. We`ve
been working hard with Bridgestone and I`m feeling confident
about our tyres for this weekend. We had a positive test at
Jerez last week and worked on a number of updates, especially
with the suspension. We also ran a major tyre programme in
preparation for the next three races and found some good aero
improvements, which will hopefully help us continue closing
the gap to the cars ahead."
Christijan Albers (NED), Car #19: "I
really enjoy the two German races, perhaps because they are
the closest grand prix events to Holland, so we always get
a good turnout of Dutch supporters. The atmosphere in Hockenheim
is always lively; the fans are really into it and the noise
from the grandstand stadium section is just incredible. The
circuit itself is also one of my favourites - I've raced on
it many times during my DTM, F3000 and F3 days, so I know
the track quite well. We had a good test last week in Jerez
that provided us with lots of useful data on our recent upgrades
and tyres, so I'm expecting us to be more competitive than
usual. If we can find the right set-up early on Friday, we
should have a reasonable shot at a strong race."
Markus Winkelhock (GER), Test and Reserve Driver:
"For me, it will be a very exciting weekend
because I live only one hour away from Hockenheim, so I guess
you could say it`s my home race! I'm really looking forward
to driving the M16 again on Friday; it's been a while since
I last had the opportunity. You can be sure I will try to
do a good job and support the team as much as I can. I`m in
good shape, having done a lot of fitness training recently,
so I think that will benefit my performance significantly.
I also think it will be a bit easier for me to post better
times in Hockenheim than it was in Bahrain and Australia,
because at least here I know the track, which is helpful considering
how little time we have to test all the tyres and find a good
set-up."
Colin Kolles, Managing Director: "We
took another good step forward in Jerez last week with regard
to increasing mechanical grip and improving our aero. These
are relatively small gains, but as long as we keep reducing
our rivals' advantage and moving closer to the front, that's
the most important thing. If we can qualify well in Hockenheim
and get both cars to the finish, we stand a good chance of
surprising some people."
James Key, Technical Director: "Hockenheim
has a real mix of corners speeds and two long straights, which
tends to flatten out downforce level options for optimum lap
time. So we will be looking to find the best balance of sector
times we can, particularly between the second sector and the
winding complex in the last sector. As always, much will depend
on track grip and tyre selection. Our partners at Bridgestone
provided us with a good race tyre in Magny-Cours in very hot
conditions, so if the current hot weather trends continue,
we hope to have selected similarly effective options for Hockenheim.
The M16 will have some new aero updates, which we tested in
Jerez last week, as well as some additional suspension and
setup options newly available for Hockenheim , so our development
programme continues to bear fruit, race by race."
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