Saturday: Toyota fights for first place

Pleasant surprise for Toyota, which managed to be among the best on this Saturday of the 2009 British Grand Prix. This morning’s practice sessions proved useful. The drivers are well within the top 10, with Jarno Trulli in 3rd place and Timo Glock in 7th.

In qualifying, it’s simple, they each lose one place to position themselves in 4th and 8th. The team did not expect to be so competitive with its two single-seaters. A podium is highly likely tomorrow while the victory is more between Red Bull and Brawn GP.

Jarno Trulli – 3rd and 4th:

« We had a very good qualifying session today. I am satisfied with the result and very happy with the car. We made some aerodynamic improvements for this race that helped improve our performance. The gap with the fastest cars was small during this qualifying session. Our fuel load is quite low so it’s a positive sign. The team has done an excellent job this weekend because since the first practice sessions, we have been performing well. »

« This continued throughout the weekend until now. Maybe my lap in Q3 could have been slightly faster, and we could have made it into the top three, but in the end, I think we are where we deserve to be. I have to admit that I am happy because Silverstone has never been very favorable to me, so I am really happy to be at the front of the grid. »

Timo Glock – 7th and 8th:

The result is quite good and I have to be happy to be in the top eight. I wasn’t sure it was possible after yesterday’s practice. I was having a bit of trouble with the car and compared to Jarno [Trulli], I’m less competitive. The problem for me has been getting the tires up to temperature. I have never been completely satisfied all weekend, but today’s result is decent, so I hope to score points tomorrow.

Pascal Vasselon – Deputy General Manager Chassis:

« Overall today, the tests and qualifying went well and we have good chances for tomorrow’s race. We are not on the front row, but we are in a strong position. It is also satisfying to see that we are much closer to the fastest cars. We are therefore looking forward to the race because we believe we have a very solid strategy. We are very optimistic. »