Double Act Debut:
Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock Join Forces Monday 10
March 2008
The Australian Grand Prix is not only the start of a new
Formula 1 season; for Panasonic Toyota Racing it is the start
of a new era, with an exciting new driver line-up of Jarno
Trulli and Timo Glock bringing fresh optimism to the team.
For its seventh season at the pinnacle of motorsport, Panasonic
Toyota Racing has a perfect blend of youth and experience
- and this combination is already bearing fruit. Jarno and
Timo have worked hand in hand to extract increasing levels
of performance from the TF108, building a strong working relationship
in the process.
Timo may be young, 25, but he has solid experience of different
categories and arrives at Panasonic Toyota Racing as a proven
champion following his superb title-winning GP2 campaign last
year. Nevertheless, Timo has discovered that working alongside
Jarno, one of the fastest drivers in the world with 11 seasons
already behind him, has hastened his learning. "He's
really experienced and that's good for me," Timo says.
"It's good experience for me to have somebody like him
in the team. He knows the team for a long time, and has a
lot of experience of how you set-up a car that makes it pretty
interesting for me." Throughout his career, Timo has
shown the fighting qualities necessary to compete at the top;
looking back at his route back to Formula 1 after his one
season there in 2004 is a study of determination and hard
work, not to mention enough natural talent to shine in every
category he has competed in.
But having a fast and experienced racer alongside also provides
Timo with stiff competition, and President John Howett expects
a keen fight between the two men on the track, as well as
close cooperation off it. "I think Timo has to recognise
that Jarno is one of the quickest qualifiers out there,"
John says. "And in Formula 1 you tend to race where you
qualify and finish the first lap, so not only does he have
to show how competent a racing driver he was last year in
GP2 he needs also to qualify at the highest level." For
Panasonic Toyota Racing, the positive energy created by the
new driver line-up has been clear throughout winter testing.
Timo's enthusiasm for testing and improving the car combines
perfectly with Jarno's experience and dedication, with the
result that significant improvements have been made to TF108
set-up since the car was rolled out for the first time on
13 January.
Both drivers have made important contributions since then,
and this has seen the TF108 show ever increasing performance,
including a fastest time of the day and impressive long-run
pace in the final pre-season test last month. This comes as
no surprise to Team Manager Richard Cregan, who believes a
blend of youth and experience is the best for the development
of team and drivers. "I think when you bring a young
driver in and you pair him up to an experienced Formula 1
driver like Jarno it works both ways," he says. "I
think you have a very good transfer of knowledge from the
more experienced driver to the younger driver - in terms of
real driving experience, in terms of how to handle a car,
how to handle team, feedback, all those things. "But
then at the same time you have a very good shift of enthusiasm
if you like from the young driver to the established driver
because you know it's new and it's exciting. I think it works
both ways and that's what happening at the moment to our benefit."
Timo, of course, is not entirely new to Formula 1, having
being test driver for Jordan in 2004, including racing in
four Grands Prix. This experience, as well as his two successful
seasons in GP2, means he has a strong knowledge of most current
Formula 1 circuits and he arrives in Melbourne well prepared
for his Toyota race debut. Jarno's experience is clear following
11 seasons in the most demanding and competitive sport on
earth, but the Italian has lost none of his commitment and
he is ready for a new experience - teaming up with Timo to
lead Panasonic Toyota Racing's 2008 challenge. "The atmosphere
is great inside the team," he says. "Timo is a young
driver coming up who is very motivated. I am probably more
motivated than ever and I am ready to push the team and improve
the car." And Jarno sums up the feeling in the team when
he says: "Definitely I think it's good that Timo has
joined. It's good for everyone; good for me and for the team.
He is a quick driver and I'm enjoying the time with him."
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