By Huw Alban - July 23 2006
I'm not one to normally speculate, but I can't help but share this particular thought with you all. I have a deep suspicion that Tiago Monteiro will not be driving for Midland F1 Racing in 2007.
Why? I hear you cry!
Well, first off there's the recent news on the ITV website that Colin Kolles is after selling a race seat to the massively impressive Adrian Sutil. Under normal circumstances I'd have brushed this one off as nothing more than media gossip, especially when you consider all the drivel we've been fed this year and the amount of time and effort loyal visitors to this site have spent trying to educate those that swallow this usual garbage.
Today, however I'm not so willing to let this one go. A visitor to our forum pointed out that Tiago gave an interview to Crash.net before the French Grand Prix weekend, and in that telephone interview is the following:
Crash.net: "Will you be looking to stay with the same team, whoever owns it, next year or are you looking at possibilities up and down the grid like most people are?"
Tiago Monteiro: "Yeah, exactly. I mean we've been talking to most of the teams at the moment. My management team has been working quite actively on that side of things, you know, it's part of the racing you know. You always want more and better - you want to be in the most competitive team all the time. Unless you are in a Championship winning team, you always want more. So, I guess it's normal that we're talking to the other ones.
Having said that if, no matter who owns the team next year, if they can prove to me or promise me that the team will be even more performance, and more and more performance throughout the year (then) I have no problems at all in staying. I'm getting on so well with everyone there - it's like a big family now - I know everyone. My engineer and I have been working for three years together now, so he'd love to stay as well."
Now add to the pot the news a few months ago that team boss Colin Kolles was deep in negotiations with Christijan Albers' management in order to reserve his services for another year?
I don't know about you people, but these three pieces together quite firmly point my mind to thinking that Tiago will not be with us next year. Whilst this might actually be the best move ever for him, I'm actually saddened to be thinking this way. He is such a likeable character, and I'll miss our little chats at Silverstone MF1 test sessions.
Article:
http://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s495/st100900.htm?fromrss=1The Stig