German Grand Prix – Preview
HEIM ON A ROLL
Fresh from Panasonic Toyota Racing's points finishes at the
last three races, the German Grand Prix is the next European
stop of the 2006 F1 calendar. This summer visit to the circuit
at Hockenheim usually guarantees blazing hot weather so the
run of scorching grand prix is likely to continue. The TMG
factory is based in Cologne so this event is one of the 'home'
races for the team and many of the company's employees will
be in the grandstands. Ralf Schumacher will also be racing
in his home country so he and team-mate Jarno Trulli will
look to make the most of the improved pace shown by Toyota
in recent race weekends.
Ralf Schumacher (Car 7): "It's always
nice to come back to Hockenheim and I really enjoy the atmosphere,
particularly because it is my home race. The fans are especially
vocal in the stadium section, where the grandstands mean that
there are people on all sides. On the old circuit through
the forests the stadium used to be the main place to watch
but now the whole track can be seen by the spectators. I like
the revised track layout and the wide corners are good for
driving fluently and maintaining a good rhythm. We normally
expect hot weather for the race so tyre choice is important
but our Bridgestone tyres have been excellent in recent races
so I hope we can keep up our improved form. I had a good race
at the circuit last year and worked my way up from 12th on
the grid to 6th place thanks to good strategy work from the
team. We did well in France and we should hope for another
strong result on Sunday."
Jarno Trulli (Car 8): "Ever since I
first competed in German Formula 3 I have enjoyed racing at
Hockenheim. Of course it used to be all about low downforce
and high speed but the circuit changed completely when they
changed the layout in 2002. Now it is a technical track where
setting up your car is very important. You need to have pace
through the quicker sections but you must also get the most
out of the many slower corners. The only passing opportunity
comes into the hairpin at the end of the long straight so
you need to have good straightline speed in the race to make
sure you don't lose out. Last year I had one of those incident-filled
races where everything happened, starting with a puncture
at the first corner, so this year we will look to make up
for that. Our form has been greatly improved recently due
to very good work from the team both at the race tracks and
at the factory. I was unlucky in France but now we must look
to give everyone another strong result to celebrate."
Pascal Vasselon – Senior General Manager Chassis:
"When we produced the TF106B the target was
to allow for aerodynamic improvement. Since then we have had
updates at most races and we have another one planned for
the German Grand Prix. That means we will hope to keep up
our improved performance of late. Hockenheim is one of the
three hottest venues that we visit during the season, along
with Budapest and Sepang, and the track temperatures can be
in excess of 50 degrees Celsius. The old track through the
forests was unique but the new layout is quite typical for
an F1 circuit. From tyre side it is challenging for both the
construction and the compound, with a predominance of rear
limitation. It's down to the long straight, which is actually
like a long corner. You have one good overtaking chance at
the hairpin after the straight because the preceding corner
is also slow and cars can run close to each other. This is
Toyota's second home race of the year and there will be lots
of the company's employees in the grandstands so it will certainly
be special for us."
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