25/08/2006
NEWS STORY
Tiago Monteiro: "Today was alright, considering we stayed on the same set of tyres all day. We didn't want to waste a new set, preferring instead to keep them for tomorrow. By the time we wrapped up, this afternoon, my tyres were very well worn. Fortunately, we managed to find a pretty good balance toward the end, and that's the main thing, really. Every time we went in some direction that didn't work, I came back in, and the team made the appropriate corrections to get us back on the right track. My engineers and mechanics did a terrific job today, so hopefully that will pay off tomorrow with continued improvements."
Christijan Albers: "It's very difficult to explain how frustrated I feel right now.This is the third time in a row that we've had a really bad Friday. Midland and Toyota have to push hard together as a team, to look at the data and analyse what's going on, because in Formula 1, we can't afford to have these kinds of failures."
Giorgio Mondini: "It was a very good session from my point of view. We ran through the program without any problems. I trained very hard during my absence from the team, so my fitness was good, even with the counter-clockwise track and the high loads in Turn 8. It`s difficult to say how much the car has improved since the last time I drove it, because each track is different, but it certainly got better between this morning and the afternoon. The team did a great job, and we're moving in a good direction with regard to tyre choice."
Colin Kolles, Managing Director: "Unfortunately, Christijan suffered his third engine failure in a row today, so that will make it difficult for him to fight for positions on Sunday. But we have had setbacks before, and we persevered - it's the only thing one can do in a situation like this. On the positive side, both Tiago and Giorgio had productive sessions, so hopefully we can continue moving forward with another strong qualifying performance tomorrow."
Dominic Harlow, Chief Race and Test Engineer: "It was good to be back on track today and, technically, it was quite an interesting session. I think we learned a fair amount of what we had set out to do. We're disappointed for Christijan, obviously, with the engine change, but nonetheless, we're pleased with the results from our third car and with Tiago's work, as well. We're fairly positive going into tomorrow and should be able to improve things in time for qualifying."
Johnny Herbert, Sporting Relations Manager: "Giorgio did another good job for us today. He stuck to his programme and was able to give us good information with respect to tyres and set-up. Christijan, unfortunately, had another problem that necessitated an engine change for tomorrow, which isn't very good - he's had a few too many recently. It's been difficult for him and for the whole team to accept, but we'll be up for the fight tomorrow. He's got a strong enough character and he'll do a good job from the back of the grid, as he has before. Tiago, by comparison, had a rather uneventful day, just running through his programme in an efficient manner. All in all, it's been a constructive day, just terribly unfortunate for Christijan."
To check out our Istanbul free practice picture gallery, click here