Monteiro aims for Shanghai repeat

After the last of the European Grand Prix of the season, Tiago Monteiro heads directly to Shanghai, China, to prepare for the next round of the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship. Monteiro has been looking forward to the Chinese race for some time as it is a circuit he feels he can do as well at this year as he did last.

Tiago Monteiro: "Monza wasn't the perfect weekend as we had some braking problems. Since then, the team has worked hard on the problem and we shouldn't have any more issues. Braking is especially important at Shanghai because there are a couple of very heavy braking points that can make good overtaking opportunities."

"Beyond that we need to keep an eye on the weather, which can be a bit changeable. I'm confident we can be quite competitive at Shanghai and do well especially in the challenging, technical corners like turn 13 which is key to a good lap time. The stage is set for a good weekend, we just need to work carefully on Friday and Saturday morning to fine tune the car into the circuit."

"Last year I finished eleventh and we had a good race where we were able to fight the Toyotas and Williams and even Michael Schumacher in the first stint. The team worked well during the test at Silverstone and we have a good idea of tire choice for the race."

"The three last races of the season are really important. Now with Spyker having bought the team, there will be a new dynamic in the team and everyone has a new, refreshed motivation. There's a really fantastic atmosphere in the team, and even the new orange colour scheme is very nice to look at."

"In China I'll be staying in Shanghai despite the long distance to the track because I also want to experience the magic of the city all week. Once again I've prepared a very nice T-shirt for my friends, and I hope that you will make a point to come and get it on Thursday afternoon at the team's hospitality area at the track."

-credit: dca