Portuguese driver Tiago Monteiro was present at the Silverstone circuit on the third of February when his MidlandF1 team officially unveiled their new Toyota M16 in front of impatient journalists. Following the unveiling, Tiago was there to put the new car through its initial paces, but unfortunately it was the best possible baptism for Midland’s new single-seater..
"The car suffered software problems in the gearbox which prevented me from lapping," regretted the 2005 rookie of the year. "But generally I have a good feeling with the car and the team, who put in a lot of effort to develop this all new car."
At the time of theM16’s shakedown, Christijan Albers was able to cover 12 laps of the circuit, and gave a positive report on the teams progress…
"Albers did a dozen laps and now we will start development tests in Jerez from the seventh of February,” Tiago added. “We will then be able to work on the balance of the car and undergo further work in regard to the cars performance."