Spanish Grand Prix - Preview
CATA-LUNYA LANDING
Panasonic Toyota Racing returns to Europe for the Spanish
Grand Prix after scoring points in all three races so far
in 2007. Following Jarno Trulli’s exciting drive to
seventh place in Bahrain almost four weeks ago, the team is
upbeat ahead of round four of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
The TF107 has undergone an upgrade following the three flyaway
races and Panasonic Toyota Racing expects to close the gap
to the front cars as a result. The revised car, which features
several aerodynamic changes including improved turning vanes,
gearbox cladding and cooling chimneys, was tested successfully
in Barcelona last week with both Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher
making good progress. In 2005, Jarno and Ralf finished third
and fourth respectively and the team is looking for more points
again this weekend to continue its positive start to the season.
Ralf Schumacher (Car 11): “Bahrain
was disappointing for me but we had a productive test in Barcelona
last week so I am expecting a better result at this race.
We all know the Circuit de Catalunya very well from testing
but this will be the first time we have raced on the new lay-out
after the chicane was added to replace the penultimate corner.
It is certainly better from a safety point of view but it
has made it quite tricky to drive. We have made some aerodynamic
changes to our car since the last race and, after a positive
test at Barcelona, I am confident we will see an improvement
in our performance this weekend. We will have to wait and
see how much we have moved forward but my goal is to get back
among the points after two disappointing races.”
Jarno Trulli (Car 12): “I had a great
race in Bahrain to finish seventh so I am going to the Spanish
Grand Prix in a good mood. It was a difficult race for me
but I was very pleased with my performance. However, we saw
in Bahrain that we need to work on a few things if we are
to compete with the fastest cars. We will have an updated
car for this race and in testing that seemed to be a good
step forward. Obviously everyone else is likely to have improvements
on the car but I hope we can make a performance gain. We tested
at Barcelona last week and that should help us when it comes
to finding a set-up, especially now the lay-out has changed.
My most recent podium finish was in Spain two years ago –
I don’t know if we can repeat that result but I am certainly
hoping for more points.”
Pascal Vasselon – Senior General Manager Chassis:
“We will have a significant upgrade of our
aerodynamic package for the Spanish Grand Prix, including
a new engine cover, a new floor and new rear crash structure.
We are confident it will bring better performance in Barcelona.
The Circuit de Catalunya is usually a good judge of whether
a car is competitive – if you are quick at Barcelona
you should go well at most places. This year the circuit is
different because of the lay-out changes. It has lost a bit
of its character because in the past it was all about high-speed
cornering which made it a real challenge in terms of aerodynamics
and also suspension. The new chicane has taken away some of
that challenge but it is still interesting for us in terms
of set-up. We have finished in the points in every race so
far this season so clearly that is again the expectation.”
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