By Huw Alban
March 4 2006

MF1 Racing fell into the category of ‘the back of the grid’ according to UK F1 broadcaster ITV today. In their 2006 season preview show the channel paid little attention to this new team and their chances. In a feature lasting exactly 35 seconds ITV introduced this new team to their worldwide TV F1 fan audience.

The feature showed images of Christijan driving the M16 at a non-UK test venue, and of him walking around the MF1 garage. The coverage then cut to a brief interview with Tiago, stood next to an MF1 lorry under a clear blue sky.

“A new year, and a new name, and MF1 Racing is hoping to rise from the ashes of Jordan and start moving back up the grid,” narrated ITV-F1’s Louise Goodman to images of Christijan driving the M16.

“Team owner Alex Shnaider has promised more funding to help the cause, and Toyota’s handy V8 will power new signing Christijan Albers and team mate Tiago Monteiro whose confident that MF1 are up for the challenge.”

“(We need) to close the gap to the front runners and then quickly try and get into the situation where we can score more points than last year,” Tiago Monteiro said after Louise had completed her introduction. “It won’t be easy, it won’t happen like that, we’ll have to put in a lot of work but we’re ready for that.”

I fear that this a sign of things to come for UK based MF1 fans as the channel flatly refuses to provide even coverage for all the teams on the grid. BigPip and myself are going to be unable to make it to the British Grand Prix this year due to our own separate funding crisis at the moment, and I fear that this season I’m going to be spending my Sunday afternoons watching the live timing sheets from Formula1.com in order to find out how ‘my’ team are doing in the race.

Come on ITV, give us some decent coverage for all fans and not just those that support Renault, Ferrari, McLaren, Williams, or Honda !