Q+A with Toyota Motorsport President John Howett
As Formula 1 prepares for the first European race of the
year, in Spain this weekend, Toyota Motorsport President John
Howett comments on the season so far.
Would you say it has been a positive start to the
2007 season for Panasonic Toyota Racing?
What I would say is that the expectations of many people
have been grossly exceeded. But in terms of our own ambitions,
we expect to be fighting at a higher level. So yes it is pleasing
we have exceeded some peoples’ predictions based on
winter testing but we know we have to do more.
Has the team exceeded your expectations?
No. I think we were quicker than BMW last year, very similar
to McLaren but not quite so fast in race pace and now clearly
they have achieved more or we have slipped back.
But the team is not where we want to be – is
the challenge now to push for the top three?
There are two or three challenges facing us now the European
season is starting. The first is to maintain our position
at the top of the second group of teams and make sure we don’t
slip back. Then, looking forward, the main ambition now has
to be to catch and pass BMW as the first step.
Reliability has been an improvement on 2006, is that
encouraging?
If one goes back to 2005 we had the most reliable car on
the grid but in 2006, after the change to V8 engines and numerous
other detailed regulation changes, we had a lot of reliability
issues. We can do it and this year is proving we are recovering
and we are able to put out a reliable car.
What has been your highlight of the first three races?
Jarno’s performance in Malaysia stands out. It was
a great race, no question that is the highlight. But also
the reliability is back and we are understanding the car.
We significantly increased the performance and closed the
gap on the teams ahead of us between Melbourne and Malaysia.
That shows we are able to squeeze more out of the car and
the package.
It’s no secret the team suffered one or two
difficult tests over the winter. How pleased are you with
the team’s response?
First of all, in Melbourne we were quicker than people generally
expected and in Malaysia I think we closed the gap on the
top three teams by about 50% compared to Melbourne. That was
more or less maintained in Bahrain. That’s a result
of the great effort from the team in all areas. After a successful
test in Barcelona we are looking forward to seeing where we
are relatively this coming weekend.
How much will change on the car for the Spanish Grand
Prix?
To the inexperienced eye it may not look to be a huge change
but improvements have been made in many areas and we know
performance has been enhanced. We know that the other teams
are pushing very hard as well. It is the relative change that
is more important. In Formula 1, dramatic changes don’t
always deliver performance, it is more the subtle evolution,
understanding what really can give the car more performance.
The midfield battle is very tight at the moment so
is it fair to say small improvements can drastically alter
results?
Clearly. Our main target is to maintain our position at
the head of that secondary group but our ambition is to be
in a stronger position this year so we have to work hard and
believe the improvements we have made on the car will close
the gap to the next team in front of us, BMW.
How is the atmosphere within the team?
It is very positive. Jarno’s fantastic performance
in Malaysia has certainly lifted everyone. He has silenced
many of his previous detractors and shown clearly that if
the car balance remains consistent he is able to fight, consistently
and fight very strongly. It is a thrill for everyone in the
team to see us fighting and actually coming out in front but
we all want to do this at the front of the race.
What about the performance of the race drivers, Ralf
and Jarno. They have had good days and bad days…
You can say that looking at most teams. Even in Ferrari and
McLaren you can see experienced drivers struggling a bit at
times with the new tyres we have for 2007. The tyres and the
way we have to set up the car are more generally suited to
Jarno’s driving style than Ralf’s. We have improved
the situation for Ralf over the last test and we believe Ralf
will be better able to use more of the potential the car has
to offer.
Last season saw the team make a big step in performance
from the first race to the last. Does that give you reason
to be hopeful for 2007?
I think everybody is pushing very hard in Formula 1. It’s
clear from last year that we can make major improvements in
performance over a season after we moved from a pretty slow
start to a competitive position at the end of the year. We
are intending to do exactly the same this year but we are
acutely aware there are another four, five or six teams out
there trying to do exactly the same. It is a motivating challenge
for the people here to do it again and to show we are an emerging
and serious challenger on the F1 grid.
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