EXCLUSIVE: Mario Dominguez will drive for Midland F1 in 2006!
A constant driving force in this year's Champ Car championship, (5th place with 244 points, 212 of which were secured on road circuits) Mario Dominguez will drive a Midland F1 Dallara in the 2006 Formula One season, with Henri Luzet, the Mexican driver's manager who has already worked with a big name in Formula One, revealed to us today.
“It was hard for me, initially, to work for a driver other than Roberto Moreno, who I have been tied to since the F3000 years, when we won the championship,” Henri Luzet exclusively told GP2004. “It was Roberto himself who urged me to get in contact with Mario Dominguez, assuring me that he was an above average driver with a very endearing personality. Mario definitely leaves an impression! He has Inca blood in his veins and his piercing eagle eyes makes heads turn when he walks by. He is admirable as a person and he is excellent as a driver, but he knows how to keep his head firmly on his shoulders, and I tell you he is going to make his mark when he gets into Formula One.”
Mario Dominguez and Henri Luzet will pay a visit to the Dallara plant, tomorrow (Tuesday), in order to finalize the terms of the contract and to strengthen ties with the principal architects of the deal.
“The visit to the Dallara plant is the next logical step in a process that has been underway for several weeks. Mario Dominguez will drive for Midland F1 in 2006, that is for sure. After talks with Sauber and Minardi, we have taken a more pragmatic attitude. We will meet with Mr. Dallara but I am not yet sure if Alex Schnaider will be there; he is a fairly secretive man but he just might make an appearance for the occasion?”
“There was a time when things were up in the air because Mario is tied to Herdez Competition until the end of 2005 and his team manager, Keith Wiggins has an option on him. Midland was interested by the sale of Jaguar, which could have complicated things for Mario if he was to drive in F1 in 2005. In the end, that's not what happened and everything cooled off, which is a good thing. Midland came to the last Champ Car race of the year in Mexico City, and took the opportunity to talk to Mario and to sponsors. You have to remember that an entire country is behind Mario, the budgets are enormous and the next Mexican GP in Cancun will be a vehicle of choice for a Mexican driver, Mexican companies are ready to invest and a whole nation is too.”
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