Shnaider happy with Jordan progress

Midland owner Alex Shnaider has declared Jordan’s final Formula One season a success, despite the team finishing a lowly ninth in the constructors’ championship.

Canadian businessman Shnaider and his Midland group bought out Eddie Jordan last winter to take their place on the grid.

But their first season in charge, and the last under the Jordan banner, has been difficult with drivers Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro battling the Minardis at the back.

Monteiro scored the team’s only point on merit when he finished a superb eighth in Belgium, to add to the points they scored in a six-car parade at Indianapolis.

However, Shnaider is satisfied with those efforts and believes the team can improve when they return as Midland in 2006.

He said: “We knew this was going to be a difficult season as we took over a team in financial disarray and had very little time to prepare for the first race in Australia.

“Despite these obstacles, we met our objectives of learning and improving as much as possible. The team showed tremendous dedication at each race and did a great job with the resources that were available.

“The car proved reliable, its development progressed steadily over the course of the season and our drivers showed impressive speed.

“So even though we expected to struggle during this transition period, our first season can be viewed as an overall success.

“Now we are looking forward to competing in 2006 under the Midland banner and improving our team even further.”

Midland have yet to announce their race drivers for next season, with the seats likely to go to the highest bidder. Dutchman Nicky Pastorelli was this week confirmed as their test driver.