MF1 Midland Racing 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix - Race Report

For the second consecutive race, Midland Formula 1 Racing enjoyed solid reliability and competitive pace on its way to a two-car finish at the most exciting and chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix in recent memory.

Tiago Monteiro survived continuously changing weather conditions to earn the team's second top ten result of the season, with teammate Christijan Albers following him home in 11th position. Although the event began in rain-swept conditions, it began to dry midway through the race, creating havoc for many of the top runners. After changing to dry tyres, Christijan demonstrated the M16's ever improving pace by setting the 8th-fastest lap of the contest.

The race team now returns to Silverstone to prepare for the Turkish Grand Prix in three weeks' time.

Starting Position: 16th
Classification: 10th, 67 laps completed (+3 laps)
Fastest Lap: 1:28.178 at 15:54:53, 13th overall (+4.662 from fastest lap of the race)

Quote: "Obviously, it's great for the team to get another top 10. We were hoping for conditions like this to try and get some points, but unfortunately for us, there are lots of reliable cars out there and we still need a little bit more luck to be able to do that. But in the end, it was a good race. I think we had a great strategy, especially with the tricky conditions. It was very, very difficult to drive initially and I made a lot of mistakes at the beginning of the race. It's inevitable when you're trying so hard to push and find the limits in such slick conditions. But once I got settled, the car balance was pretty good and I have to thank the team for giving me a stable and reliable car that could bring me to the finish."

Christijan Albers (NED), Car #19 (Chassis: M16-02)

Starting Position: 22nd
Classification: 11th, 67 laps completed (+3 laps)
Fastest Lap: 1:26.117 at 15:56:26, 8th overall (+2.601 from fastest lap of the race)

Quote: "We made the wrong tyre choice at the beginning of the race. I don't know why; we must analyse why this happened. I was just too slow on our standard wets and I took too long overtaking Tiago early in the race. The pit stops and traffic were always a problem and I kept having to race off line. But when I finally got on to dry tyres, I was able to push and put in some reasonable lap times. The overall pace is definitely getting better, so I'm feeling positive for the races ahead."

Colin Kolles, Managing Director: "Unfortunately, we didn't score any points today. We struggled in the rain at the beginning, and I think that's what cost us. Otherwise, toward the end, we had quite competitive lap times. Christijan put in the 8th-quickest lap and Tiago, as usual, did a solid job to bring the car home in difficult conditions. Today, we just needed a bit more luck. or more laps - either would have helped"

Dominic Harlow, Chief Race and Test Engineer: "We got cool, calm drives from both Tiago and Christijan for a good two-car finish, especially in light of the conditions we had. We took a chance with Tiago under the safety car, which seemed to work well for him. Chris making two stops in a race like that was also the right way to go. In the end, I guess we ultimately didn't have the speed to take points today. We'll do an aero test in three days and following that, begin our preparations for Turkey."

Johnny Herbert, Sporting Relations Manager: "It was good to get to the end and earn a top 10 finish, but it's a shame we lost so much time in the wet. Hopefully, we can keep closing ground on our rivals and convert our pace and reliability into some points in the coming races."

- Ron FINE, Midland Racing f1 -
photos copyright Midland