European Grand Prix – Preview
The European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring is the closest
that the Formula 1 event comes to the gates of Toyota Motorsport's
factory. The German circuit is a short drive from the team's
Cologne base and that always guarantees a full turn-out of
Panasonic Toyota Racing fans and employees in the grandstands.
The entire workforce from the factory receives an invitation
to the event and it always means there is a special atmosphere
for the whole team. Nonetheless the race team will be as focused
as ever as it seeks to add to its points total from 2006.
COLOGNE STAR
The Nürburgring is close to the TMG factory and to Kerpen,
where Ralf Schumacher grew up.
Ralf Schumacher (Car 7): "We struggled on race day in
Imola but our pace shows that we've made big steps forward
since the start of the season. We initially struggled because
our car concept made it difficult to get grip out of hard
compounds in low temperatures. But we have worked hard on
our set-up and we reaped the benefits for our podium in Melbourne.
Now we hope to regain that good form with another good result
at our home race. I've always really enjoyed racing at the
Nürburgring, which is always greatly affected by the
weather. I won my first Formula Junior race at the track and
I won the grand prix there in 2003. It will be great to have
some of the people from the factory there. That support will
be really appreciated so let's hope we can give them a result
to cheer."
RING ENGAGEMENT
Jarno Trulli will seek better luck at the Nürburgring,
where he took his first podium in 1999.
Jarno Trulli (Car 8): "I've had nothing but bad luck
in the races so far this year so it's time for a change. Now
that we have resolved our set-up problems we can concentrate
on pushing the team forwards. At the Nürburgring the
weather will be a crucial factor and I am glad to know the
circuit well from my time in German F3. That experience helps
to predict what the weather could do and to plan strategy,
as it did when I finished second in a rain-affected race there
in 1999. It would of course be great to challenge that high
again. Our pace has been improving in recent races so we will
push hard to try and maintain that momentum. I know that the
package is good and it would be especially satisfying to perform
well in front of the massed ranks of Toyota employees and
fans."
WEATHER OR NOT
The European Grand Prix will hinge on what the skies bring
to the region for race weekend.
Pascal Vasselon – General Manager Car Design and Development:
"Unlike its predecessor the Nordschleife, the current
Nürburgring is an average track for Formula 1. It ranks
in the mid-range for most of the important items like downforce
levels, braking energy and tyres. But what will be especially
challenging this year is the weather. It's still early in
the year and in May anything could happen in that part of
the world – sun, rain or possibly even snow! You can
wake up and the temperature could be anything between 0 and
35 degrees. So we have to anticipate that and we have to make
sure we cover any eventuality, especially when it comes to
tyres. We spent last week testing at Paul Ricard working on
some new parts and especially tyre choice and that leaves
us confident that we will be able to react to any conditions
that we can face."
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