Dallara, Midland, to split

Midland, and Italian racing car constructor Dallara, will probably split at the end of 2005.

Giampaolo Dallara's company, until June, was hard at work on the 2006 'MF1 Racing' racer, until Midland owner Alex Shnaider pulled the plug.

With Jordan's Silverstone factory, he reckoned, the F1 team could handle both the design and build of the racer. Dallara was moved into a lesser 'support' function.

The Dallara contract, however, extends until the last day of 2005, with an option to extend it into 2006.

But Giampaolo told Italy's Autosprint magazine: ''The car that will race in 2006 will be designed and built by Jordan.

''Within a couple of years we'll be able to know whether Shnaider's choice was right or not.''