MF1 RACING
2006 Malaysian GP - Qualifying
Adrian Burgess, Sporting Director: "It's been a difficult
weekend so far, dealing with a new engine formula, and being
the second weekend of the first two-race cycle has been challenging
for a lot of teams. We've had a few mechanical problems, which
we're trying our hardest to get under control but then again,
we're not alone in that regard and we'll be quite happy starting
15th and 16th on the grid tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken. We
still have a lot of hard work to do, but if we can give our
drivers two cars that can get to the flag, they'll have a
good afternoon's race in front of them. We've just got to
keep our heads down, improve the car, improve our reliability,
and see where we end up."
Tiago Monteiro (POR), #18
Chassis: M16-03
Best Time, Morning Practice: 1:37.900 (20th)
Qualifying Time / Classification: 1:37.819 (20th)
Quote: "The good news is that my back felt much better
today. Our physiotherapist did a great job with the treatment
last night, and I was able to drive with a lot less pain.
We still have little bit of work to do to fight our way further
up the grid, but we knew from the start that we would be at
a disadvantage on a high-downforce circuit like this, where
aerodynamics play such a key role. There will be at least
five cars behind us on the starting grid because of engine
changes, and I'm looking forward to mixing it up with them
for as long as I can. Hopefully, our reliability issues have
been solved and we can be there at the end. After all, just
finishing the race here is half the battle."
Christijan Albers (NED), #19
Chassis: M16-02
Best Time, Morning Practice: 1:37.232 (18th)
Qualifying Time / Classification: 1:37.46 (19th)
Quote: "I really have to give credit to the team, because
in spite of our qualifying positions today, they really did
a great job. Everyone is working very hard to squeeze more
and more performance out of the car, and the gains are coming,
slowly but surely. Maybe not as fast as the big manufacturer
teams but then again, Formula 1 has probably never been so
competitive. A little rain tomorrow wouldn't hurt, either,
because we know we have good 'wet' and 'extreme wet' tyres.
That would be a great equaliser, from our point of view. Now
we have to focus on running the best race we can, and I'm
really looking forward to collecting as much data as possible
to help us prepare for Australia and the rest of the season."
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