By Huw Alban
May 1 2006

Clear skies and sunshine were in good supply at the start of the test today, but it soon clouded over. Tiago Monteiro was on hand, and the team were very busy today going about their work - so busy in fact that there was no time for pleasantries (although I did get a nod and a wink from Tiago).

As ever MF1O were at the test today, and spent the majority of the day trackside watching and comparing the M16 with the other competitors. It has to be said honestly that the M16 did not appear as "racey" as the likes of Honda - I think steady is the word I would use, but when you compare this to the lively EJ15 that twitched like a dying animal you can clearly see that solid progress has been made.

We completely failed to notice that the team had a new suspension geometry, but we did notice that the team mechanics were adjusting the suspension throughout the day (and now we know why). We did notice yesterday that the M16 did appear to have a new small barge board attached to the front suspension arms - we're pretty sure that it wasn't there before.

Testing finishes tomorrow with Christijan at the wheel. The weather forecast is dry with sunny spells so we should do well with running time. Photos from todays test (all but the first 10 taken by Huw) can be found on the official MidlandF1.com website under the Gallery link (and click on TEST).

Midland F1 Racing press release:

In contrast to yesterday, bright, clear skies greeted the Midland F1 team this morning at Silverstone. The clouds soon rolled in, though, but at least it stayed dry. The team wasted no time in making the most of the favourable weather conditions and completed a solid day's work preparing for both the European and British races.

Testing resumes tomorrow for the third and final day, with Christijan Albers taking on driving duties.

Weather Conditions: Dry and Overcast Max. air temp. 15C / Max. track temp 20C
Driver: Tiago Monteiro
Chassis: M16-04
Engine: Toyota RVX06 G0114
Fastest Lap: 1:21.79
Number of Laps: 85
Distance: 437Km

Tiago Monteiro: "We had a productive session today, running through a complete programme. We went through an interesting tyre test in the morning with many different sets. In the afternoon, we did some setup work and tested some updates to the car. Overall, it was a positive day and we are working hard to find more speed."

Dominic Harlow, Chief Race and Test Engineer: "Tiago had a busy day in the car today, working on setup for the Grand Prix here in a few weeks time. We tested tyres, and looked at some small improvements to the braking system. We also ran a new suspension geometry and some new aero parts that we will take to Nurburgring, as we continue to push to develop the M16 as fast as possible."