03/08/2006
NEWS STORY
Midland Formula 1 Racing has arrived in Budapest, ready to compete in Round 13 of the FIA Formula One World Championship, the Hungarian Grand Prix, on Sunday, August 6th.
Although disappointed by the FIA's decision to exclude both cars from the results of last weekend's German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, the team remains determined to aggressively challenge its rivals for the remainder of the season and continue building upon its increasingly competitive race performance.
Located some 22 km north-east of downtown Budapest, the Hungaroring lies nestled in a natural valley that offers spectacular views of much of the circuit. Tight, twisty and technical, the track tends to produce some of the slowest and closest racing on the Grand Prix calendar. Drivers must be in peak mental and physical condition to overcome the circuit's varying grip levels and typically high ambient temperatures.
Tiago Monteiro: "I love Budapest! It's such a beautiful and fantastic city, so everybody likes coming here, although I remember from last year that it's always very hot, so fitness will be a factor. The track sits in a valley, so dust and humidity also play a role during the race weekend, and the course is tight - a bit like Monaco without the barriers! I had a good race here last year and hope that we can continue our improved performances of late. The track here should suit our car fairly well - much better than Hockeheim, that's for sure - so I think we'll have a good race."
Christijan Albers: "The circuit in Budapest is a real challenge: it's tight, twisty and undulating, making life very difficult for the drivers. When combined with the high track temperatures, racing at the Hungaroring is always very tough. However, I love coming to this circuit because the course is a real test for a driver's skill and the reliability of his car. We're going to have to be at the top of our game if we expect to challenge our rivals again this weekend, so I'm going to go for it and do everything I can to push us up the grid."
Markus Winkelhock, Test and Reserve Driver: "I am really happy that the team has given me the chance to once again be the Friday test driver at the Hungarian Grand Prix. After the good weekend I had in Hockenheim, I'll try to do a good job in Budapest. Unfortunately, I don't know the track - having never raced on it - but that shouldn't be a big problem; I should be able to learn it fairly quickly. So I am really looking forward for the upcoming weekend and giving the team all the valuable data it needs to have a successful weekend."
Colin Kolles, Managing Director: "The team has come straight here from Hockenheim, so we hope to put aside the disappointment of the FIA's decision to exclude us from the results of last week's race and instead focus on our positive momentum. We have a reliable car package, so we don't expect the heat and dust to affect us very much. We are reaching a critical stage in the season for Midland F1 and the team is committed more than ever to scoring points and improving our competitiveness."
James Key, Technical Director: "Hungary is going to be an interesting race, because next to Monaco, it's the circuit where aero efficency plays the least important role. It's a twisty track, so we'll be running high downforce levels. Traditionally, it's also very hot, although whether that will be the case remains to be seen. There are always many variables at this track, like dust and wind, so we'll have to work harder than ever to maximise performance. In any case, the challenges here will be very different from Hockenheim and we think that Hungary will suit our car's characteristics better than Hockenheim, or even Magny-Cours, for that matter. So I think we can go there with a reasonably positive outlook."
Johnny Herbert, Sporting Relations Manager: "It's unfortunate that our results in Hockenheim were thrown out, but that doesn't change the fact that our race pace was genuinely competitive there. The wing elements in question didn't contribute to any aspect of our performance, so correcting the problem shouldn't compromise us at all. Tyre selection will be crucial in Hungary, so if we can select the right compound and qualify where we've been slotting recently, up in Q2, then hopefully we can have a strong race. The track should suit our car fairly well, so we'll concentrate on rebounding strongly and scoring our best results of the year here."