Friday: Toyota is motivated after this first day!

The Toyota team secured a podium in Japan two weeks ago. The desire is therefore strong this weekend, and with the same drivers, the machine seems ready to collect points. Trulli remains consistently stable and finished 6th this afternoon, while Kobayashi, who is replacing the recovering Glock, impresses his managers.

Trulli and Kobayashi, like all the drivers, were disrupted by the rain. However, the programs are completed, but the settings are still uncertain. The team will work hard before the qualifications to give their drivers a car as competitive as in Japan. Trulli and Kobayashi are confident about it.

Jarno Trulli – 11th and 6th:

« Everything went well today and we did our usual work for Friday’s practice. We had a bit of rain during both sessions, which made things a bit more complicated than usual. In particular, there wasn’t much grip in the morning. But even though the weather affected finding the right setup, we feel we’re heading in the right direction. The car seems quite good on this track and I didn’t have any major issues, so I hope we can continue like this for the rest of the weekend. After the excellent result last time in Suzuka, I am really motivated to continue this momentum. »

Kamui Kobayashi – 18th and 13th:

« It’s great to be able to start the weekend as the official driver for this Grand Prix. It’s a first for me, and moreover in Brazil. I find the track fun, but above all very technical. Our work has progressed well, despite the showers. As a result, our hierarchy is not defined, but I was able to find a good rhythm and the car was competitive. There are still things we can improve, and I will work hard with my engineers to be ready for my first F1 qualifications. I’m really looking forward to it and I’m confident. »

Dieter Gass – Chief Engineer for Racing and Testing:

« Overall, the weekend started well despite the weather conditions being difficult to predict. We have roughly finished the day’s program and the two tire compounds behaved more or less as expected. The soft tires are even a bit more performant than we thought over the long stints. »

« Regarding the performance, we can only be pleased with Kamui’s, who did not know the track and who set a very good time in the rain. As usual, we must now carefully examine the data and fine-tune the setup to make the most of the car before the qualifying session. »