Paul Ricard Test: Round-Up
Location: Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France
Drivers: Ricardo Zonta, Olivier Panis
Track Length: 3.818km
Drivers:
Jarno Trulli Best lap: 1m05.702s, total laps: 72
Ricardo Zonta Best lap: 1m05.738s, total laps: 339
Ralf Schumacher Best lap: 1m07.060s, total laps: 40
Olivier Panis Best lap: 1m07.851s, total laps: 110
On the third and last day of Panasonic Toyota Racing's test
session at Circuit Paul Ricard, Olivier Panis and Ricardo
Zonta were present and put in over a combined 249 laps, even
though the morning session started out slow due to the track
being damp and slippery from the evening's rainfall. The additional
wind caused the team to wait until the track dried out. Yet,
in the afternoon, both drivers were able to finish some long
runs on the newer tyre compounds supplied by Bridgestone.
Over the last three days, the team worked extensively on the
tyre programme, testing new constructions and compounds, as
well as performing set-up evaluations in preparation for the
Australian Grand Prix.
BEGINNING TO SEE THE LIGHT
Having put in 339 laps over the last three days, Ricardo Zonta
finds Toyota is gradually getting on the right track.
Ricardo Zonta - Chassis TF106/01
Best Lap Time: 1m06.949s
Total laps: 139
Total Distance: 530.702km
"We continued today with tyre testing. I did three long
runs in the morning and another three in the afternoon because
the track temperature changed over the day, and therefore
we repeated the test. This was very important for Melbourne
because we will make the tyre decision for this race based
on these runs. I feel this test has brought encouraging results,
nevertheless the team will push forward and continue to work
on finding the best solutions for the coming races."
EYE ON PROVENCE
Frenchman Olivier Panis felt at home returning to the Circuit
Paul Ricard in the south of France, where he assisted the
team in making preparations for the next grand prix.
Olivier Panis - Chassis TF106/02
Best Lap Time: 1m07.851s
Total laps: 110
Total Distance: 419.98km
"The test went well and it looks constructive for the
team. When we started this morning, the track conditions were
cold and damp, but we used the weather to our advantage, testing
wet tyres in the morning and dry tyres in the afternoon. Everyone
worked hard and we are still sorting out the car set-up, but
the results from this test give us some positive insight for
the next race and tests."
THE OZ CAR NOMINATION
Panasonic Toyota Racing finishes its three-day testing in
Le Castellet, having focused on tyre testing and car behaviour
for the grand prix in Australia.
Gerd Pfeiffer, Test Team Manager
"We have used the last three days to gain data on the
car and how it behaves with various tyre constructions and
compounds. Both Ricardo and Olivier were very thorough with
their feedback today and based on this as well as the results
that we have collected, we have decided on the tyre choice
for Melbourne. We know that the next races will be challenging
and that we still have work to do, but we are confident we
are heading in the right direction."
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