Chinese Grand Prix – Preview
CHINESE BREAK AWAY
The European season is over and the last three races of the
2006 Formula One calendar will be flyaway events, beginning
with this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. The event is still
relatively new, having arrived on the calendar as recently
as 2004. The Shanghai International Circuit is based just
outside China's biggest city and boasts facilities that rank
among the finest that the teams visit during the season. After
Jarno Trulli's seventh-place finish at Monza, Panasonic Toyota
Racing will be looking to bring home as many points as possible
from the last three races. The technical team is confident
of a return to better performance in China and the team's
race drivers Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli will be pushing
hard for the best possible result.
Ralf Schumacher (Car 7): "I have good
memories of last year's Chinese Grand Prix, when I took my
second podium for Toyota. That was the result of great strategy
work and it was a great way to cap off my first year with
the team. I still haven't seen much of the city of Shanghai
but I do remember that the traffic is crazy! The Shanghai
International Circuit is an impressive facility, with a combination
of technically challenging corners without being too high
speed. It was well designed and it has some features that
are unique, especially the long corners. Turn 1 is so long
that you almost complete an entire circle so you need to be
committed to stay on the limit all the way round without making
a mistake. The whole circuit is very wide so there are chances
to overtake, particularly at the end of the long straight
into turn 14. That makes the track a fun place to race and
I look forward to trying to bring home another good result
this Sunday."
Jarno Trulli (Car 8): "Unlike most
of the drivers on the grid I have only competed in one Chinese
Grand Prix – I missed the first event in 2004 because
I had only just joined Toyota. So last year's race is my only
experience of the circuit and my only visit to Shanghai –
I did race in Macau when I was in Formula Three. At last year's
grand prix I was impressed both by the city of Shanghai and
by the facilities at the circuit. I didn't have the best of
races because I lost ground when the safety car came out at
just the wrong time for me. But I still enjoyed trying the
Shanghai International Circuit which has some good features.
It is a mixture of slow twists and long straights so it is
a challenge to find a suitable compromise for race set-up.
Turn 1 is unique, and it takes you from top gear to first
as you go round it. There are a couple of passing chances,
one at the end of the long back straight and also into turn
4. After my two points in Italy, we will go to China hoping
to score well to set us up for the final leg of the season."
Pascal Vasselon – Senior General Manager Chassis:
"Both the city of Shanghai and the circuit are
extraordinary places. The facility is huge and the paddock
bungalows are like nowhere else on the calendar. The track
itself is average on most parameters like braking, downforce
and tyre compounds but it features two very special corners
which are entirely unique to the Shanghai International Circuit.
At the end of the start-finish straight there is a very long
right hander and there is another one at the back end of the
circuit. The main consequence is that it puts the emphasis
on graining and wear on the front left tyre. At Turn 1 you
also see the highest loads on the steering system from the
entire season because of the combination of very high cornering
and braking accelerations all together. At the other end of
the circuit, the exit from the second long right-hander is
crucial for speed along the long straight. That means, unusually,
that the cars have higher average speeds along that straight
with high levels of downforce. We were slightly further back
the grid than we expected at Monza but we hope that will be
a one-off due to the unique demands of the circuit. At Shanghai
we hope to improve and return to challenging the top cars."
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