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Today's Weather: Cloudy and cool with showers at lunch, air 12-16°C, track
18-25°C
Toyota's Best Turkish GP qualifying: 5th, Jarno Trulli 2005, Ralf
Schumacher 2006
Toyota's Best Turkish GP race result: 6th, Jarno Trulli
2005
Take Note: The TF108 has further aerodynamic improvements this weekend
following the major step taken for the Spanish Grand Prix a fortnight ago.
Jarno Trulli (Car 11, Chassis TF108-05)
Summary: Ran
trouble-free to 7th place on a day slightly disrupted by damp track
P1 11th
Best Lap Time: 1m 29.329s (+2.006s) Laps: 24
P2 7th Best Lap Time: 1m 28.619s
(+1.076s) Laps: 29
"We have come to Turkey at a different time of year so temperatures are
unlike what we have faced in the past. But that was a good day despite the mixed
track conditions - dusty in the morning then rain in the afternoon. We made it
through our programme of tyre and set-up work and we didn't have any problems.
The car seems okay so far but there is still work to do in order to improve the
handling. Now we have to work hard over the next two days to maintain our strong
start to the season with a successful race."
Timo Glock (Car 12, Chassis TF108-06)
Summary: Late
off-track excursion but no other problems en route to 12th
P1 10th Best Lap
Time: 1m 29.103s (+1.780s) Laps: 19
P2 12th Best Lap Time: 1m 28.849s
(+1.306s) Laps: 26
"Both practice sessions went pretty well and the car felt good throughout the
day. I also had a strong long run with competitive lap times. Graining and
understeer were challenges today. On a late run I went off the track and
couldn't stop the car from hitting the kerb and damaging the front wing. It was
my mistake and I missed the last five minutes but it was nevertheless a good
first day. I've had some successful races here in GP2 but it's difficult to
overtake so qualifying is important this weekend. Our target has to be to get
into the top ten tomorrow, as I did in the first two races this year."
Dieter Gass, Chief Engineer Race and Test
"Even though
the weather was changeable we still made it through our programme and we
collected the information that we wanted. So it was a positive day and we are in
slightly better shape than we were in Barcelona. The cold weather doesn't seem
to have changed too much about the circuit. In the morning the track was cleaned
at the last minute and there were damp spots but it was not a problem for us. We
planned to go out late anyway because we know that the circuit's dirty here at
the start. That also means the tyres are difficult to evaluate because the track
evolves through the sessions. So we still have to investigate that and make our
decision for tomorrow. Now I hope we can build on today and come back to the
performance level we showed at the beginning of the season."
Panasonic Toyota Racing, featuring... Innovation
Fixation
Formula 1 is the sport that never sleeps and at Panasonic
Toyota Racing's headquarters in Cologne, Germany, dedicated technical experts
work around the clock in a constant search for extra performance. No stone is
left unturned but where does a team find such gains?
With engine development
frozen and a standard ECU, constant improvement in terms of engine performance
is difficult - but not impossible. Senior General Manager Engine Luca Marmorini
says: "Even given the regulations we work hard so our engine performance
improves during the season - for example in terms of fuel efficiency."
Bigger
gains can be made with aerodynamics. The Spanish Grand Prix package featured
major changes that will be further optimised with more new parts here in Turkey.
Team Manager Richard Cregan explains: "If you're not bringing something new to
every race of the season you're just going to be moving backwards. But what
you're trying to achieve is to come up with something revolutionary not purely
an evolution of something that exists."
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