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Today’s Weather:
Hot and
sunny, air 30-37°C, track 31-48°C
Toyota’s Best Australian GP qualifying:
2nd, Jarno
Trulli, 2005
Toyota’s Best Australian GP race result:
3rd, Ralf
Schumacher, 2006
Today’s TF108 is the specification
tested in Barcelona last month, featuring revised bodywork and mechanical
improvements from the car rolled out in January.
Jarno Trulli
(Car 11, Chassis
TF108-02)
Summary: Trouble-free
practice until late spin, 7th quickest in P2
P1 10th Best Lap Time: 1m
29.014s (+2.553s) Laps: 23
P2 7th Best Lap Time: 1m
28.292s (+1.733s) Laps: 22
“That was a difficult day because
we have been trying to balance the car while fighting a bit with tyre graining.
We tried some things to improve it but I’m not satisfied with the balance yet. I
ended up in the gravel because I touched the grass near the end of the second
session. Now I just hope we can have a better day tomorrow. We’ve made some good
progress over the winter time and the testing we have done in Europe has been
positive. The car seems more competitive, especially in race conditions, so I’m
optimistic heading into the first grand prix of the season.”
Timo Glock
(Car 12, Chassis
TF108-04)
Summary: Solid
first day’s practice for Toyota, taking 10th in P2
P1 8th Best Lap Time: 1m
28.913s (+2.452s) Laps: 16
P2 10th Best Lap Time: 1m
28.582s (+2.023s) Laps: 28
“This was my first day of running
here in Australia and my first free practice session for Toyota so it was
completely different to what I’m used to in GP2 and testing. So it was an
unusual situation but overall it felt okay. It is still difficult for me in
terms of getting the car right for my driving style. But we are continuously
improving and today felt better than the last test so I can start to get a
better feeling for the car. The last run wasn’t too bad but I think everyone
will be complaining about graining and it is the same for us.”
Dieter Gass, Chief Engineer Race
and Test
“Overall
it was a positive day for us but the sessions did not go without
problems. It was a pity that Jarno spun because he was on a long run and we were
collecting tyre data. We also had a problem with a wheel bearing on Timo’s car
this morning which is why he had to stop slightly early. Still, we can be quite
satisfied with how the car behaved. It’s hard to comment on how the cars line up
because, as usual in Melbourne, the circuit was developing throughout the day as
rubber went down. People were obviously running on different fuel levels so it
will be hard to analyse today’s timesheets. But I’m not expecting too many
issues with the heat because everyone was prepared for similar conditions in
Malaysia next week anyway.”
Panasonic Toyota Racing, featuring…
Double Act Debut
This weekend marks the start of a
new era for Panasonic Toyota Racing with its new driver line-up. Jarno and Timo
have already built a strong working relationship, the combination providing a
perfect blend of youth and experience. The positive energy created by the new
pairing has been clear throughout winter testing, with the result that
significant improvements have been made to TF108 set-up since the car was rolled
out.
Team Manager Richard Cregan says:
“It works both ways. You have a good
transfer of knowledge from the more experienced driver to the younger driver but
you have a very good shift of enthusiasm in the other direction because you know
it’s new and exciting.”
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