Formula One news
Albers hopes for mid-season uplift
01 December 2006Christijan Albers has just finished his second year in Formula 1. Next year he will drive again for Spyker MF1. With the new owners, many things have changed and Albers hopes he can finally compete for the point scoring positions in 2007.
"It was much more professional than the first year," he told F1Racing.net about the change from Minardi to Midland, later Spyker. "Maybe it doesn't seem that way for the fans, because I couldn't compete with the top runners, just like with Minardi. But when you take a look at the factory and see the way this team works, you know it is a step forward. It is a shame though I can't fight for the victory or points. Sometimes you have to invest. In most cases, you don't start your F1 career at the front of the field. I did it this way in DTM and now I'm trying the same in F1."
Now Spyker owns the team, many things changed. Mike Gascoyne was contracted and Spyker secured Ferrari engines. Will it be enough to be competitive from the start in the next season? Albers thinks that is not really realistic. "We're going to have a hard time in the beginning of the season. Mike Gascoyne just started on 1st November. The scale model for the windtunnel was finished at that time. It takes months to build that. You just don't make a new car in a bit of time. The engine is a big difference. Half-way through the season I expect to be able compete with more teams."
Christijan Albers had a good cooperation with team mate Tiago Monteiro in the last season. It still isn't clear if the Portuguese will be driving for the team next year. Albers did like Monteiro as a team mate, but he doesn't really care who will be with him in 2007.
"He is fast and is able to bring the car home," Albers went on. "He is faster than most people think. But I don't really care who is my team mate. I would like a guy of who is created a hype. Give me Lewis Hamilton as a team mate. With a team you can go in many directions with your drivers. You can hire someone who seems to be very fast, but with no budget. If I beat him, it's twice as bad as normal. First of all he doesn't have the talent I have and on top of that he doesn't bring any money. But personally I prefer the fastest driver in the world next to me. If someone is not as fast as I am, he has to bring something to the team, so it can grow."
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