MF1 RACING
2006 European GP - Preview
Following an extensive three-day programme at Silverstone
Circuit to evaluate tyre compounds and technical upgrades,
MF1 Racing heads to the picturesque Eifel region of western
Germany for Round 5 of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship:
the European GP.
Buoyed by the results of the latest test, the team hopes
to capitalize on its ever-improving pace with an impressive
showing at the 5.148 km-long Nürburgring, a circuit that
elicits mostly fond memories from MF1's drivers. Apart from
being the venue for victories by Christijan Albers and Adrian
Sutil in lower formulae (2003 DTM and 2005 F3 EuroSeries,
respectively), the 'Ring was also the setting for a rain-soaked
Grand Prix victory by Johnny Herbert - now MF1's Sporting
Relations Manager - back in 1999.
Tiago Monteiro (POR), Car #18: "After
the race in Imola, the team and I had a good three days of
testing at Silverstone, with many laps run and some good data
gained from all the tyre testing we did. We are pretty happy
with our tyre choice for the Nürburgring, a track where
you need lots of traction to put in quick times, especially
coming out of the hairpin corners. We're also confident of
making a little improvement, speed-wise, after this test and
I hope it will be reflected on track this weekend. With so
many strong teams in F1 this year, it won't be an easy task
to move up the grid. I am also aware that we need to find
some more speed, especially in qualifying. But we are a resilient
team, and we will continue to fight with everything we have."
Christijan Albers (NED), Car #19: "I
am happy to be in the car again after my big shunt in Imola.
Hopefully, we can make a good start this time around and be
in a better position to move up the field. I know this circuit
quite well, having enjoyed a fair bit of success here during
my F3 and DTM days. Since the Belgian GP will not be staged
this year, this race is more or less my home race, being the
closest one to Holland. There will be plenty of Dutch fans
in attendance, which always makes me proud. Seeing all the
orange in the grandstands gives me a boost - some extra motivation
to do my very best and give something back to the fans and
the hard-working members of my team. Their support is very
important to me, and they deserve nothing less than my maximum
effort."
Adrian Sutil (GER), Test and Reserve Driver:
"I'm very happy to be doing my first official Friday
practice in Germany. I really like the Nürburgring, and
have fond memories of winning an F3 EuroSeries race here last
year. I hope I can put in a strong performance and help the
team as best as possible. I'm well prepared for this day and
really looking forward to it!"
Dominic Harlow, Chief Race and Test Engineer: "The
Nürburgring offers a range of corners within a fraction
over 5 km of track. Normally, the cars suffer from understeer
here and we will be working hard to improve the balance -
particularly on new tyres - as we try to bring our qualifying
performance closer to what we are capable of in terms of race
pace. We have a couple of performance updates for the M16
following our testing at Silverstone last week, as well as
an engine upgrade as we fit our third set of two-race engines.
We expect race strategy to be similar to what we have seen
at other events recently but, of course, the weather at the
Nurburgring is notorious. The race is also taking place a
little bit earlier this year, so anything could happen!"
Johnny Herbert, Sporting Relations Manager: "People
still comment on my win here in 1999, saying how surprising
it was, coming as it did with a smaller team (Stewart Grand
Prix). We were in a similar situation back then as Midland
are today: struggling with some bad luck and not quite performing
up to our potential. But it just goes to show how big a role
determination and sharp thinking play into it. We never stopped
believing in ourselves and kept working hard to improve, just
as everyone in the Midland team does. Hopefully, we can witness
a similar reversal of fortune this weekend and taste a bit
of success."
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