Midland pleased with Silverstone progress 15 Jun 2006
Midland continued their three-day test programme at Silverstone on Tuesday. The team reported positive progress, despite a delay to the start of the session because of poor weather conditions which made it impossible for the medical helicopter to fly.
“The conditions did improve, however, and we completed an exhaustive tyre programme during the morning session with Tiago (Monteiro),” reported Dominic Harlow, the team’s chief race and test engineer. “Giorgio Mondini took over the car in the afternoon, beginning a short programme of setup work before the end of the day."
Monteiro was the quicker of the two drivers, with a best time of 1m 22.940s to Mondini’s 1m 24.270s. The pair completed 53 and 20 laps respectively.
"Another productive day of testing, another step forward,” said Monteiro. “I'm really impressed by the progress we're able to make with such a limited amount of testing. Even with the cooler conditions and lower grip on the track, I was able to do some very good runs today. The new tyres made a big difference, and I am really looking forward to using them during a race weekend."
"The package is definitely getting better, that's for sure,” added Mondini. “The data from the new tyres is also encouraging, and if we can continue going in this direction, I am positive we can move up the grid before the end of the season."
Midland will complete their Silverstone programme on Thursday.
