Panasonic Toyota Racing F1 - Monaco Free Practice round-up

Today's Weather: Dry and sunny, air 19-21°C, track 18-38°C

Toyota's Best Monaco GP qualifying: 5th Jarno Trulli 2005

Toyota's Best Monaco GP race result: 6th Ralf Schumacher 2005, Cristiano da Matta 2004

Take Note: The TF108 will race in high downforce configuration this weekend to suit the twists and turns of Monaco. The package includes revised front and rear wings.

Summary: Solid day of practice en route to 12th place in the second session

P1 11th Best Lap Time: 1m 17.942s (+1.994s) Laps: 26

P2 12th Best Lap Time: 1m 16.688s (+1.548s) Laps: 46

"It was an interesting experience to drive around Monaco in a Formula 1 car. This is a special event as there is no other track like it and the circuit is fun to drive. You are quite busy out there and you have lots to do.

 So far I am happy with the car but we still need to improve a few things to make it a bit quicker. I still need a bit more experience to get the most out of the car but it was a good start.

Overall it was a good free practice - no damage and we made it through the whole programme. Now I hope to push hard for a better result at the weekend."

Summary: Disrupted day, missing end of P1 after brush with wall before afternoon floor issue

P1 16th Best Lap Time: 1m 18.360s (+2.412s) Laps: 16

P2 17th Best Lap Time: 1m 17.379s (+2.239s) Laps: 28

"That was a difficult day for me. This morning I made a mistake and touched the wall on the way into the tunnel. That broke my rear suspension so I missed some running.

Then in the afternoon we had a problem with the floor that made me lose a lot more track time so it is hard to draw too many conclusions so far. It's difficult to make predictions here because anything can happen.

We are expecting to see a wet track during the weekend which will make things especially tough. So there are a lot of variables that make this a unique place to race but the atmosphere is always special."

"As usual in Monaco that was not an easy day. Jarno's first session was cut short because he made contact with the wall late on. Then in the afternoon we had a problem with the floor that we had to fix so hisrunning timewas further disrupted. Timo had a trouble-free day and he was able to run smoothly through his programme.

The problem here is that with the circuit evolving so much, you have to take a step back and analyse the data. Now we have plenty of time tomorrow to come up with the best set-up for Saturday. With rain forecast for later in the weekend, the weather could still play a major part in proceedings."

For nearly 80 years, the Monaco Grand Prix has challenged drivers to tame the tight and twisty streets of the second smallest nation on Earth. Richard Cregan, Panasonic Toyota Racing Team Manager, sums it up: "A driver on a flying lap in Monaco earns his salary for the year right there."

Monaco places special demands on an F1 car too. With so many slow speed corners, drivers are constantly working through the gears, adding up to nearly 4,000 gear changes over a race distance.

Chief Engineer Race and Test Dieter Gass explains: "There is a lot of work for the gearbox and it is also very demanding for the brakes. The low average speed and the lack of long straights mean the average temperature of the brakes is very high so you have to be careful with brake cooling."

For all Monaco's technical challenges, just to be so close to the action is an intoxicating experience, even for F1 regulars.

Senior General Manager Chassis Pascal Vasselon adds: "Every Monaco Grand Prix is special for me. It is the only place where you really feel, hear and smell the speed of the cars."

- Toyota, Koeln -