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Albers/Midland 2006?

From F1Total.com
Albers war angeblich schon in der Fabrik in Silverstone

Als zweiter Pilot soll Christijan Albers, bis Jahresende noch bei Minardi-Cosworth unter Vertrag, zu Midland kommen. Dies behauptet zumindest dessen Manager Lodewijk Varossieau: "Wir waren nicht dort, um die Fliegen zu zählen", kommentierte der Niederländer grinsend einen angeblichen Fabriksbesuch bei Jordan/Midland in Silverstone. "Minardi ist für nächstes Jahr auch eine Möglichkeit, aber Christijan will aufsteigen - und das möglichst schnell."

Fraglich ist allerdings noch, was dann aus Robert Doornbos wird, der ja schon seit Mai davon spricht, ein recht konkretes Midland-Angebot für 2006 auf dem Tisch liegen zu haben. Darüber hinaus kann sich kaum jemand vorstellen, dass Karthikeyan mit seinem prall gefüllten Geldkoffer einfach vor die Tür gesetzt wird. Sollte es aber doch so kommen, würde der Inder wohl rasch einen neuen Freund namens Paul Stoddart finden...
-Albers was at Midlands facotry
-According to his manager, he was not there "to count the flys
-Minardi is an option, but albers wants to climb up

Comments

  • I think Albers options for 06 are limited. I would love to see him stay another year with Minardi but him moving to Midland is not going to help him much in his quest for a top team drive. I hope this is just the rumour mill in action.
  • Really don't think that our use of the V10 helps our case for the retention of Albers and his sponsors.
  • Just watched the dutch preview to the start in Turkey and I must say Albers attitude towards Minardi has changed...

    With remarks like "the start is all we have" and "we never could have caught the jordans" (referring to the qualifying), I'm inclined to think he'll switch in 2006.

    I hope he won't but if he does... then I hope Minardi will show him that it was a wrong choice ;)
  • Yes, I'd like to have albers in minardi next year, but honestly, who gives a ..
    in Italy we say he who doesn't want us, doesn't deserve us.
    Go to midland, climber:hehe:
  • I agree with Salvo, if he wants to go, he goes, we survive without big headers!
  • Well, after today's race result he might want to reconsider his options !!!!!
  • Midland might have V8's för next season. But they are a team in chaos. Due to the problems with their b-spec chassi thay still haven't started work on their new car fo next year.

    Minardi on the other hand does already now know exactly how the car will look in 2006. Since Minardi will stick to the V10 engine and, instead of building a complete new car, continue to develop their current car, the PS05. This gives all the members in the team a stability.

    Albers would be stupid to join Midland. Though I would understand that it might be difficult to get the sponsors to pay for another year in Minardi.
  • Well, it's understandable that our drivers are looking forward to bigger and better things. Minardi choosing the V10 for next season really puts a damper on everyone's expectations.

    That said, Midland is a risk. First it was Dallara, now Reynard is supposed to build their chassis? Their car could turn out to be a real dud, not to mention that the finances are a big question mark.

    F1 is about risks though, if you don't take any, you don't go forward.
  • As I've said in other topics, the sponsors are largely directed at the dutch market and they get a lot of attention from the dutch media.

    If CA or RD were to leave and join another team they'll immediately lose a lot of that publicity because they'd have to choose between which team they'd want to sponsor.

    I'm crossing my fingers that both CA and RD will remain with Minardi for at least one more season and kick the V8's next season :cool:
  • Midland is a declining team. In 2006, if the Minardi to keep the work and to obtain more money can surpass
    them.
  • Albers should look at his options very carefully:-

    Midland / Jordan have lost a number of their key staff.
    They have tried to upgrade the old jordan - so far unsuccessfully.
    There is currently no proof that the midland staff can design / build a decent new car from scratch.
    They will have a decent engine, but chassis and aero will still be the key to success in 2006.

    Stoddards 5 year plan appears to be taking effect (At last :P )and development of the PS-05 is going well.

    If I were in his position I know where I would want to drive:angel:

    Then again maybe GCM already has someone new in mind for 06??
    - better to drive for Midland than an armchair (unless your name is JV :hehe: )
  • I was gonna start up a new topic about this, but i'll just put it in here seeing as we are alerady talking about midland....

    with the v10 being used next year, are minardi guaranteed to finish bottom? Being that Midland will be the direct competitor to minardi, could they argue that the v10 should be restricted even further so as not to be better than a midland car powered by a v8?

    I guess the question I'm trying to ask is, when putting the limits on the v10, should the v8 vs v10 comparison be done with the top class teams or the direct competitor such as midland?


  • I thought it funny that Verstappen's name got mentioned twice in the itv coverage, once by Brundle and once by Montoya in the interviews, both in a disparaging way.
  • I'd like to keep both these blokes for next year. Midland is a dodgy prospect by any means. With the recent and future improvement in the PS05 I think Minardi would be a much better step. Going from Minardi to Midland is not really going anywhere, he'd be better off staying at Faenza and improving his standing there, showing the right temprement and decision making abilities, and not just jumping from lilly pad to lilly pad in the "hope" that one floats better than the other, wait until one comes along that you "know" will do the job.
  • Well, it's understandable that our drivers are looking forward to bigger and better things. Minardi choosing the V10 for next season really puts a damper on everyone's expectations.

    That said, Midland is a risk. First it was Dallara, now Reynard is supposed to build their chassis? Their car could turn out to be a real dud, not to mention that the finances are a big question mark.

    F1 is about risks though, if you don't take any, you don't go forward.
    Reynard folded a few years ago. :o

    I believe they're now using the tunnel that they bought from EJ along with Dallara's. If done incorrectly it could lead to massive discrepencies in results.
  • Midland is deff the way to go if one wants to ruin their career. RD showed his rear to both of them in a race, which is pretty new. I could go on with mor arguments but hey, let's face it: Midland is a mess, Minardi the place to be.
  • I thought it funny that Verstappen's name got mentioned twice in the itv coverage, once by Brundle and once by Montoya in the interviews, both in a disparaging way.
    Let me ask you this: Is it coincidence that for the second time in his career Montoya get's hit from behind while lapping another car?...

    From GP.com
    After the race the McLaren press statements blamed Tiago Monteiro, which is easy, but Monteiro was having none of it. And nor should he. Montoya's habit of doing silly things continued. It was clear from the cloud of tyre smoke that came off the McLaren just after it passed Monteiro that Montoya had stood on the brakes rather dramatically. That was necessary because there was a corner coming up, which Montoya appeared to have forgotten about when he went past the Jordan. Monteiro did what he could to stop the car
    [Edited on 22/8/2005 by Selespeed]
  • OK, so we keep on developping the PS05 for next year !!!

    Only 1 thing to worry about: The new qualifying !!!!!
    What if it changes radically? We might have a disadvantage with the capacity of our fueltank (too big or too small) ???!!
  • Kolles doesn't want Doornbos anymore for 2006, but wants Albers:
    Midland team: "Albers is the fastest Dutchman"

    Christijan Albers has two offers in the pocket already for the 2006 season. The Dutchman who is currently racing at Minardi received an offer to remain at the Italian team for another season, but now the Midland Formula 1 team has also offered him a contract for 2006.


    Team manager Colin Kolles offered Robert Doornbos a deal in the past already, but Doornbos is no longer an option for Kolles. Who does Kolles rate higher? "Everyone can see that Christijan Albers is the fastest Dutchman in Formula 1. If we sign up Albers there is only one seat available for a Dutchman," said Kolles.

    Last week Christijan Albers visited the factory in England. "We wanted to convince him with our plans for next season. I read a lot of negative things about our team and I wanted to show him all the positive things," Kolles explained.


    Already a national hero?
    Jordan's sport director Johnny Herbert agrees with Kolles: "Christijan Albers' race performance is much better, he is certainly the best Dutchman that we can sign up. He won the F3 championship and did very well in DTM."

    Another candidate for the Midland seat is Anthony Davidson. "Davidson has a lot of testing experience, but not as much race experience like Christijan Albers."
  • I don't know if i'm comfortable with Albers going to another team's factory mid-season. What did they do that couldn't be accomplished in the paddock, with some pics?

    Maybe it's just me, but I don't think that's on. If Albers was working for anyone else but Stoddart, would he be doing it?

    Just for the sake of an off-the-wall prediction, who thinks that we might find Karthikeyan with us next season? He wont be at Midland, and you'd think that he hasn't done enough for anyone else to be salivating over him yet.
  • Let him go if he wants. It will be all the sweeter having him and his Midland behind us next season. On the other side The Irish Examiner mentions that Albers is on the short list at BMW? They state JV is to go with an announcement at Monza.
  • Let him go if he wants. It will be all the sweeter having him and his Midland behind us next season. On the other side The Irish Examiner mentions that Albers is on the short list at BMW?
    I hope the Irish are right and that he is behind us next season ;)
  • I still think Doornbos is a potential Albers beater. Especially if Albers drives a Midland next season ;)

    [Edited on 22/8/2005 by Stan]
  • The only thing that Jordan/Midland have done right this season is a successful root canal operation performed by Colin Kolles on Tiago Montiero, who suffered with toothache this weekend.

    True story.
  • I hope that Albers performances will stay the same and will not be influenced by the possible signup with Midland. Hopefully he will stay focussed. In DTM it was obvious that from the moment he was trying to get a seat in F1, his titel hopes vaporized caused by lack of concentration.

    I also don't think it will be a good thing to go to Midland, except if he needs a good dentist! ;)
    Hopefully at least robert will stay with the team. In his third race he already was quicker that his older teammates who have more race experience!

    [Edited on 22/8/2005 by vuurmuur]
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