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Panasonic
Toyota Racing heads east for round five of the 2008 FIA Formula 1 World
Championship, for the fourth running of the Turkish Grand Prix at the
anti-clockwise Istanbul Park. For this season, the trip across the Bosphorus
comes three months earlier than usual, meaning the teams can expect conditions
to be cooler than the mid-summer heat of previous years.
The 5.338km Istanbul Park features several turns modelled on the world's most
famous corners and includes the triple-apex Turn Eight, a downhill left-hander
which is one of the toughest in Formula 1. Following the successful new package
introduced for the last round in Spain, Toyota has more improvements this
weekend, with aerodynamic changes made to further optimise the car. A mixed
weekend in Spain saw the team's points-scoring run extended to three consecutive
races thanks to Jarno Trulli's eighth place but a better result was within
reach. Toyota has scored points in two of the three Turkish Grands Prix so far
and after an encouraging start to the season, another points haul is
expected.
Jarno
Trulli (Car 11): "I have always enjoyed myself in Turkey so I am
looking forward to this race. I am confident again because we showed in Spain
that we are quite strong, but we also saw that we have to perform at our maximum
if we are to get into the top six. The fight is so close that small variables
can make a big difference to the end result so we must keep pushing hard. The
facilities at Istanbul Park are great and the track itself is interesting, even
if it is not a personal favourite. It's not the most difficult lay-out but there
are one or two tricky corners; Turn Eight is the hardest because it is very
quick and it is really three corners in one. We have been competitive on every
circuit so far this season so we should expect to be qualifying in the top 10
and scoring points again. I am determined to get another positive result this
weekend and I believe we are in a strong position to do that."
Timo
Glock (Car 12): "I have good memories of Turkey because I have had good
results and exciting races there in GP2. I remember a really close fight with
Lewis Hamilton in 2006 and then I won the sprint race last season - I don't
think I have finished outside the top four in Turkey so I have a pretty good
record to defend! It is a nice track to visit because it is so modern and the
facilities are great, but more importantly for a driver it is quite an exciting
track to drive. There are some really challenging corners, particularly Turn
Eight which is difficult but enjoyable. Our car has looked competitive so far
all season and we have more improvements for this weekend, which shows how hard
everyone is working. Spain was a difficult weekend for me so I hope in Turkey we
can have a bit more luck and fight for my first points with Toyota."
Pascal
Vasselon - Senior General Manager Chassis: "Turkey is an average
circuit for most of the parameters - brakes, downforce and so on. But the
special factor you have in Turkey is Turn Eight, the long left-hander. This is a
key corner and simply the most demanding of the season, which means it has a lot
of consequences in terms of car balance and tyre usage. You can really say that
the Istanbul circuit is all about this corner; it is one of the very few
circuits where one corner is so significant. You have to make sure your package
can handle it and this drives tyre selection. We go to Turkey with optimism
because we have seen over the first four races that our car is competitive and
able to challenge for the top six. It was unfortunate that a mix-up cost Jarno
sixth in Spain but it was encouraging to again be fighting in that position. So
the goal for this weekend clearly has to be a strong points finish, hopefully
with both cars."
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