10/07/2009
NEWS STORY
Panasonic Toyota Racing made a solid start to the German Grand Prix weekend despite cold and changeable weather at the Nürburgring today. Light rain throughout the day and air temperatures ranging from just 10°C to 13°C faced Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock. Nevertheless, with new aerodynamic parts to test, including a revised rear wing, both drivers made full use of the morning session to compare different set-ups whilst running with the medium compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres. Further set-up work was carried out in second practice to find more improvements while comparison runs between the medium and super soft tyres were carried out successfully. This combination of tyres was last used in Bahrain, when Toyota locked out the front row in qualifying. Both drivers achieved consistent set-up improvements but that work will continue overnight and during tomorrow morning's final practice to give the team the best possible chance in qualifying.
Jarno Trulli: "Today was a standard Friday for me, although the weather affected things a bit and that could be a theme for the whole weekend. We tried the two tyre compounds and did some set-up work but there were times when the track was damp and this doesn't make comparisons any easier. Generally I am pretty happy and still quite optimistic for the weekend when you see the results at the end of each session. This is one of the home races for the team so I would be very pleased to do well for all the people who are here supporting us. We have made a promising start but there is of course still room for improvement."
Timo Glock: "It's my home race so it was nice to already see quite a few fans in the grandstands and it's a good feeling to be driving in front of them. Practice was quite tricky for me today. I struggled a little in the first practice to find the perfect balance but we worked hard between the sessions to find an improvement and the second one started pretty well. I think towards the end we didn't take the best direction in terms of set-up so we have to look at the data and find a way to get it back. I'm really motivated to do well at my home race so I am pushing hard and we'll do everything we can overnight and tomorrow to be in good shape for qualifying."
Dieter Gass, Chief Engineer Race and Test: "All in all it was a positive day for us. We had some new aero components which we assessed and got some useful information, while we had no technical problems on the car. The times were very tight with only a second covering the top 16 in the afternoon. It was pretty cold out there today with track temperatures more like a winter test than a Grand Prix in July but the weather is the same for everybody and we may have to get used to it for the weekend. The low track temperatures don't seem to have too much of a negative impact on us so it shouldn't be a problem. In terms of the tyres, the super soft compound seems to be working a bit better than expected for us. So for a Friday we are in a decent position but now we have to see what the weather does for the remainder of the weekend, especially on Sunday."