Monteiro and Midland

Tiago Monteiro is likely to take the second race seat at Midland next year, alongside Christijan Albers, and the Portuguese claims he has already signed the contract. Midland, however, has so far not confirmed that he will race for the team in 2006. Monteiro made his announcement at an award ceremony in Portugal last week.

Tiago Monteiro.

Photo by xpb.cc.

"I have signed a contract and it will soon be officially confirmed by the team," Monteiro said, according to SpeedTV.com. "It's a big relief for me, though I always expected to continue in Formula 1 after what I achieved in my rookie season."

"We should be more competitive in 2006 than we were in 2005. There will be a brand new car, designed with the new rules in mind and with a lot of effort put into the aerodynamic package. Our goal will be to score more points than last season, and in a more regular way."

Monteiro made his mark in his rookie season with Jordan this year when he finished 18 of 19 races and scored a podium finish with third at the controversial US Grand Prix. He also revealed at the ceremony that he had been approached by Frank Williams in regard to a test role but said he would rather race.

Midland has admitted that Monteiro is the favourite to be teammate to Albers but said no announcement will be made until they are ready. Narain Karthikayen, Monteiro's teammate at Jordan this year, has already said he is out of the running as his sponsors could not come up with the financial commitment Midland is looking for.

Meanwhile, who will fill the remaining race seat at BMW is still a mystery. Speculation has it that Renault youngster Heikki Kovalianen is a possibility but other rumours suggest the Finn will remain with the French squad as official test and third driver for 2006. By next week it will probably be someone completely different...