MF1 RACING
2006 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
MF1Racing looks to bounce back from a disappointing opening
race in Bahrain with a much-improved performance in Malaysia.
Having spent the week solving the technical problems that
plagued both race cars at Sakhir, the team is cautiously optimistic
it can finally demonstrate the reliability and pace it believes
it is capable of.
Swiss driver Giorgio Mondini makes his official Formula One
debut for the Midland team, testing tyre compounds behind
the wheel of the T-Car on Friday. The 2004 Formula Renault
V6 champion will also be on standby as a reserve driver throughout
the weekend.
Built in 1999, Sepang International Circuit is a high-downforce
circuit with a good combination of technical corners. The
heat and lateral forces, combined with a surface that has
become increasingly bumpy over time, make this one of the
most physically challenging tracks on the F1 circuit.
Tiago Monteiro (POR), Race Driver, Car #18:
"I'm very glad to be back in Malaysia because this was
one of my favourite tracks last year, actually. From a driver's
perspective, it's really enjoyable to race here - very quick,
very aggressive, nice high-speed corners - but at the same
time, it's also very demanding, both for the car and for the
driver. The temperature, humidity and downforce loads will
all be extreme, so it won't be an easy race for anyone, I
guess. But we understand why we had problems last week in
Bahrain, so we know what we have to work on and how we can
improve. Therefore, I'm really looking forward to doing better
here."
Christijan Albers (NED), Race Driver, Car #19:
"Although the track is quite challenging, it's very nice
to drive and, from what I'm told, to observe a race at. The
weather here is typically very hot, but it shouldn't be a
problem for us. The guys are working really hard to overcome
the problems we experienced last weekend, and hopefully we'll
be OK. We're pushing like hell to improve and I'm just anxious
to get my first race lap of the season out of the way. After
that, I can concentrate on getting into a good rhythm and
putting all this hard work to good use."
Giorgio Mondini (SUI), Reserve Driver:
"I'm so excited to be here. This is so different from
anything I'd experienced previously - not just the car, which
is obviously much faster, but also the number of personnel
at our disposal, their skill level, everything. They don't
call it F1 for nothing! It is the maximum, in every way. To
be honest, I had hoped to get some more test time in the car
before coming here, but my aim is still the same: to make
the best tyre and car set-up choices for the race. I don't
know the track very well, but this should only take me 5 or
10 laps to figure out. After that, I should get up to speed
very quickly."
Dominic Harlow, Head of Race and Test Engineering:
"It's a back-to-back race, so it's been quite an exciting
push to get ourselves across from Bahrain and get prepared
for this event. Like Bahrain, it's a very hot environment
here - it's one of the main features of this circuit. In terms
of our car performance, we'll be looking to improve on Bahrain,
obviously. We weren't happy with what happened there, with
a lack of reliability in the race, so we'll address those
issues. We expect pretty good performance from the package
in these conditions, that's for sure. We think we're well
suited to the hot climate with what we're bringing here. We've
got Giorgio Mondini in the third car this weekend, so it will
be interesting to see what he's got to say on the Friday.
Apart from that, we'll execute our normal programme and push
as hard as we can to get the job done properly this time."
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