German Grand Prix - Free Practice Round-Up Friday 18 July 2008
Today's Weather: Showers in the morning but dry for the afternoon. Air temperature 21-23°C, track temperature 24-36°C
Toyota's Best German GP qualifying: 7th, Olivier Panis, 2003
Toyota's Best German GP race result: 5th, Olivier Panis, 2003
Take Note: Jarno celebrated his 34th birthday last Sunday. Also last week, on 15 July, the life of the late Ove Andersson was celebrated in a memorial ceremony at the Panasonic Toyota Racing factory.
Jarno Trulli (Car 11, Chassis TF108-05)
Summary: Tried standard and extreme wets early in the morning session before switching to grooves to carry out set-up comparisons. Dry tyre comparison and further aero evaluation completed in P2.
P1 17th Best Lap Time: 1m 17.556s (+2.019s) Laps: 29
P2 12th Best Lap Time: 1m 16.530s (+1.505s) Laps: 45
"It was a normal Friday for me. We did a lot of set-up work and evaluated the new aerodynamic package. It all went very smoothly and we had no problems so we have a lot of information to help us tomorrow.
Now we will wait to see how competitive we are. As usual I have come here wanting to fight for the points. We had a successful test here last week, I did a lot of laps and got a lot of mileage but I don't want to be overly optimistic as it depends on many things and the battle is very close.
We will fight hard tomorrow to achieve the best possible grid position and then battle for points."
Timo Glock (Car 12, Chassis TF108-02)
Summary: Also worked on set-up and tyres without any mechanical problems. Evaluated different aerodynamic solutions. Also had airborne moment at final corner after running wide.
P1 13th Best Lap Time: 1m 17.185s (+1.648s) Laps: 28
P2 16th Best Lap Time: 1m 16.781s (+1.756s) Laps: 44
"The first session this morning was pretty good despite the changing track conditions but in the second session the car felt completely different. It was difficult to drive and the wind was changing, so it was pretty tricky to find the right way in terms of set-up.
Also I ran wide at the last corner and the car was launched into the air so we need to look carefully to make sure it is okay. We have to analyse all the set-up data and work out which direction to go in tomorrow.
I have always had a good experience here at Hockenheim and in the test last week we looked pretty good. Qualifying in the top 10 should be possible."
Dieter Gass, Chief Engineer Race and Test
"It was a trouble-free day which is always good because that allowed us to run through our complete programme without any delays or interruptions. We did a lot of work on the car, looking at different set-ups and comparing the tyre options. We spent much of the day evaluating our aerodynamic options and we will study the data tonight to determine which one to use.
After the rain this morning the circuit was definitely different compared with what we experienced at the test here and the car was not behaving in the same way.
That is something we have to look into overnight and make the necessary changes in time for qualifying. In general we are reasonably happy with what we have achieved today and we are optimistic for the rest of the weekend."
Panasonic Toyota Racing, featuring... Timo Glock
For every Formula 1 driver, their national Grand Prix is an event to look forward to, but for Timo Glock, this weekend's German Grand Prix represents a very special homecoming. With his mature approach and consistent pace, it is easy to forget Timo is in his first full season of racing in Formula 1, so this weekend's race is his first German Grand Prix - and it comes at the perfect venue.
The 26-year-old was born in Lindenfels, a short drive from Hockenheim, and he grew up in the Odenwaldkreis region, where he lived until recently when he took up residence in Cologne. So Hockenheim is very much a home race for him. "
A lot of friends are coming down and a lot of people I know," he says. "That makes it quite a special race."
- Toyota -
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