MF1 RACING
2006 Australian GP - Free Practice
Friday March 31, 2006
Adrian Burgess, Sporting Director:
"We covered a lot of laps today with the third
car, while the two race cars ran their normal programmes.
We've tried to work out a couple of reliability issues over
the course of the afternoon, so hopefully we've made some
good progress there. The racecars worked well today, with
no issues. Christijan had a small spin at the end of the second
session this afternoon, but the damage was relatively minor
and shouldn't be a problem for tomorrow. We've got plenty
of useful information to digest overnight regarding tyres
and strategy, lots of good data. Our pace was also pretty
encouraging. Tiago made a reasonably good run late in the
second session, so we're looking forward to building on that
tomorrow."
Tiago Monteiro (POR)
Chassis: M16-03, Car #18
First Timed Session Classification: 14th, 1:31.812, 10 laps
completed
Second Timed Session Classification: 18th, 1:29.713, 21 laps
completed
Quote: "In the morning, we didn't do
any performance runs; we just checked out all the systems
to make sure everything was working properly. We had a lot
of work planned for today and we managed to get through it
all without any issues. We solved our problems pretty early
on, so that allowed us to focus on improving the car in the
second session. The team did a fantastic job - the more I
drove, the better the car felt. I like this kind of track,
so I felt confident right away and was able to push hard.
We know where our weak points are, so we're going to work
on that tonight. But obviously, compared to our opponents,
today was a pretty good day. It's still too early to get overly
excited about the times, but it's good to know we're making
progress with the car's pace and that we know how to get even
more out of it."
Christijan Albers (NED)
Chassis: M16-02, Car #19
First Timed Session Classification: 13th, 1:31.039, 9 laps
completed
Second Timed Session Classification: 24th, 1:30.830, 18 laps
completed
Quote: "I have to say we had a really
good day today. The first session went really well, and the
second session had a promising start on the same set of tyres.
Then, when we changed to a new set of tyres that just didn't
suit me, I had a lot of problems with understeer and raising
the temperature. I also had a little spin near the end of
the session, which was a shame, because that spoiled what
was otherwise a very productive day. But we'll be all right
tomorrow. I'm sure we'll find a solution and make the right
tyre choices."
Markus Winkelhock (GER)
Chassis: M16-04, T-Car
First Timed Session Classification: 17th, 1:36.859, 17 laps
completed
Second Timed Session Classification: 26th, 1:31.260, 25 laps
completed
Quote: "I think it went pretty well
today. During the first practice, I had to learn the track,
as everything was new. I was very careful in the beginning
because the walls are narrow and quite close to the track.
The track is also pretty bumpy, so I had to search for all
the bumps before pushing hard. In the second session, we changed
something on the car, which made it much more balanced and
easier to drive. I was feeling much more comfortable toward
the end but I encountered some yellow flags when I went out
on a new set of tyres, and I also made a small mistake, so
that's unfortunate. But I think we've got enough information
to make a good tyre choice for the weekend, and that's the
most important thing."
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