Saturday: The Monaco Syndrome Sinks Toyota’s Spirits
New urban race this season after the Monaco Grand Prix in May and everything falls apart for the Toyota team. Just like in the Principality, they are unable to keep up with the pace. After lackluster morning tests with only a 9th place time for Jarno Trulli and a 16th place time for Timo Glock, […]
New urban race this season after the Monaco Grand Prix in May and everything falls apart for the Toyota team. Just like in the Principality, they are unable to keep up with the pace. After lackluster morning tests with only a 9th place time for Jarno Trulli and a 16th place time for Timo Glock, the qualifications were missed.
The Italian remains stuck in Q1 with an 18th place on the grid. The German manages to participate in Q2 and finishes 13th. The problem is recurrent on street tracks, the grip is lacking and hinders the TF109. It will be necessary to closely study the tires overnight to attempt the same strategy as in Hungary, where both drivers made it into the points, somewhat to the general surprise.
Timo Glock – 16th and 13th:
« It’s not a good result. We struggled a bit to be on pace this morning, ending up a few tenths off the top 10, which is a shame. I had trouble getting into the first part of qualifying, but in the second session, the car wasn’t too bad until the end of the corners where the rear tires suffered a lot. I pushed as hard as I could, but the tires didn’t really hold up. So we have to settle for 13th place at the start as we did in Hungary and try to replicate what we did. That means finding a way to get into the points. It will be a tough task but I will do my best. »
Jarno Trulli – 9th and 18th:
« I was expecting somewhat difficult qualifications, but not as bad as this. This morning, the car was reasonable, even though we were a bit caught off guard. But the situation worsened during the qualifications, I really had no grip and I couldn’t do anything. I kept attacking, taking a bit more risks than usual, but it didn’t work. I don’t know why we have to struggle so much, it’s a mystery to me. For the race tomorrow, I can only do my best and see what happens. »
Pascal Vasselon – Deputy General Manager of Chassis:
We can be dissatisfied with this result as it is extremely disappointing. In recent races, we have shown that our race pace could be better. Obviously, it will be difficult. Now, we need to closely examine all options to see how we can fight like we did in Hungary. The track conditions are constantly changing, we will study its effects on the tires for the race and try to make the most of it.
