21/06/2009
NEWS STORY
Panasonic Toyota Racing left Silverstone with two points after a frustrating British Grand Prix at Silverstone today. Hopes were high for a podium challenge after an extremely competitive qualifying performance but on another chilly Silverstone afternoon they turned to disappointment when the red lights went out to signify the start of the race. Jarno Trulli started on the second row but a launch issue saw him lose ground off the line to leave him seventh at the end of the first lap. Timo Glock dropped three places to 11th on the opening lap. Jarno's first pit stop came on lap 18 and he opted for another set of soft Bridgestone Potenza tyres, with fast work by the pit crew moving him up to sixth. Timo made his first pit stop a lap later and followed the same tyre strategy, emerging again in 11th. With track temperatures only 30°C, the team chose a short final stint for both drivers on the hard tyres. Jarno dropped to seventh but Timo came out ninth and fighting for the final point. As Jarno brought the car home in seventh, Timo hounded the eighth-placed Kimi Raikkonen but there was no opportunity to pass.
Jarno Trulli: "It was a very hard race for me. I had a difficult start because the car didn't pull away as fast as normal, so I lost a couple of positions. I was trying to fight back all through the race but it was not easy and the car was sliding around quite a lot; maybe this was because of the aero set-up I chose yesterday. I expected the weather today to be a little warmer than it was and I was struggling a bit with my set-up, especially on long runs. Our strategy was okay but we expected more from this race so I am determined to make up for it in Germany."
Timo Glock: "It's a pity to miss out on the points, especially as I was really quick out of traffic and at the end I was able to catch Kimi (Raikkonen) quite easily. The problem was at the first corner when I lost a few positions; that left me in traffic and compromised my race. Still, I didn't give up and I was fighting with (Giancarlo) Fisichella in the middle stint when there was a chance to get in the points. On the hard tyres at the end the car felt good and I very quickly caught Kimi but I had no chance to overtake. I tried into the final corner on the last lap but it didn't work out. Now I am looking to the next Grand Prix, which is a home race for me and the team. I hope it will be a bit warmer there which would suit our car more than the low temperatures today."
John Howett - President: "We expected a better result than this but the race didn't turn out as we hoped. Qualifying was very promising and we genuinely expected to fight for the podium but Jarno lost positions at the start and Timo was squeezed going into the first corner. Two points is far less than we expected after the qualifying result but this will motivate us to develop further and come back stronger for one of our home Grands Prix at the Nurburgring."