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Britain preview quotes: Midland

Tiago Monteiro: "Silverstone is our home race, so obviously it will be very important for the drivers and the whole team to do well here. There will be lots of fans and sponsors in the stands, as well as many employees and their families, which should make for a fun atmosphere

"We do a fair amount of testing here, so we are familiar with the set-up, but weather conditions are always changing and that can make things quite tricky. All in all, I'm looking forward to it, as quick tracks like this one are among my favourites. We missed a good opportunity in Monaco, where we showed good pace all weekend, so I am more motivated than ever to do well and hopefully, score our first points."

Christijan Albers: "I am really looking forward to Silverstone. I have been testing there a few times this year, so it's a circuit that I know well. The Midland factory is situated in Silverstone next to the track, and the whole team there is working very hard to make progress. For them it's their home race, so it's a very important race for all of us."

Giorgio Mondini: "I like this circuit, having tested there already with the team earlier this year. It's always been a very difficult, technical track, but now that cornering speeds are higher than ever before, you really need to place the car very carefully to ensure a good flow through the corners. I think it's going to be a good test for all the drivers.

"I'm encouraged by the progress we've been making during the last few races so hopefully, with some luck, we'll be able to make the most of it this weekend."

Colin Kolles, Managing Director: "I am looking forward to the British GP, where we will have new aerodynamic developments on the cars. Hopefully, these upgrades will bring us closer to the frontrunners."

James Key, Technical Director: "We go into the British GP off the back of a competitive performance at Monaco. Although Silverstone is a very different circuit, we hope to continue our progress and reduce the gap to our competitors. It may, however, be a little more difficult than the last race. Having said that, it is a circuit we know well and the combination of high-speed corners and the complex at the end of the lap offers a great technical challenge.

"As ever, tyre choice will be critical, as Silverstone is a hard circuit on tyres and we will have to do our homework on Friday. The weather conditions may also play their part, so we could be in for an interesting weekend. Most important is that we progress in qualifying as best possible and have an incident-free race. Our performance improvements are clear, but we have to ensure that we get more out of the qualifying and race sessions."

Dominic Harlow, Chief Race and Test Engineer: "Silverstone is now the second fastest circuit on the calendar (Monza being the fastest), with an average speed of over 230km/h on each lap. A stable and well-balanced car is vital, as the circuit rewards aerodynamic efficiency. Interestingly, Silverstone has a very 'flat' characteristic with respect to downforce level, and it is possible to run both high and low top-speeds to achieve similar lap times.

"It is, of course, our home circuit, and we test here more frequently than anywhere else. The fact that it was once an airfield, though, means it always throws up some set-up challenges with the wind conditions and micro-climactic effects. Our car build specification is quite heavily revised since Monaco, with some new aerodynamic parts and a very different mechanical setup, so we expect the gap to the front to continue closing."

Johnny Herbert, Sporting Relations Manager: "After another reliable finish in Monaco, I feel that we will have to work that little bit harder to squeeze out every drop of speed from the M16 this weekend. Despite our drivers having a little 'coming together' at the start in Monaco, I will ensure that, as always, Tiago and Christijan work together as a unit and try once again to get our cars into the second qualifying session. Our technical package is coming together nicely; now it's just a matter of everyone pulling together to take us to that next step."

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