Midland debuts car in February
In 2006, the name Jordan Grand Prix disappears and Midland F1 will make his first performance in Formula One in March in Bahrain. As part of their preparations for the new season, Midland is working hard on their new contender, M16, which is expected to run on track in February.
The new car has been developed from lessons learned on this year’s EJ15B but will be a completely new car in it’s own right, something the Silverstone based squad have had to do without in recent years.
James Key, Technical Co-ordinator "Although we have not been as competitive as we would have liked during 2005, there have been a number of strong points to the season. The highlight is undoubtedly our reliability, which has been extremely good throughout, a credit to our engineers here at Silverstone and our partners at Toyota. We have also made some positive developments throughout the season, a number of which form the basis of the 2006 car. In the early part of the season some suspension development work improved the balance, stability and mechanical grip of the EJ15. The EJ15B, introduced towards the latter half of the season, has proved a good step forward. This was an aero-development programme, which not only improved the cars headline figures but also further improved stability and handling.”
“We have learned a lot from the 15B and the aero concepts behind it will carry through the next year’s car. Obviously it is sad to see the name of Jordan go from F1, as it is a team which has enjoyed a fair amount of success over the last 15 years. However, recent seasons have been tough and this year was compromised by not being able to design an entirely new car. With the change to Midland F1, we now have a new opportunity ahead of us, and, with a new car for the 2006 season, a fresh platform on which to develop. We have to be realistic, as where we are coming from requires a significant step in performance for us to be in the points on a regular basis. Many team members - myself included - are confident that we can once again become a competitive and successful team, as in the past. The M16 (2006 car) will see a lot of development work during the 2006 season and, with the continued improvement of the facilities at the Silverstone HQ, we have a very positive outlook for the future."
