Friday: Toyota adapts everything lap after lap

In its pre-race statements published yesterday on casinoenlignefrance.eu.com, the Toyota team announced that its winter tests on the Sakhir circuit would be an invaluable aid for the free practice sessions of the Bahrain Grand Prix. This statement is not entirely true as the team had to start from scratch on certain points. The conditions are not exactly the same. Between February and the end of April, the temperatures have had time to rise to reach today’s exceptional levels.

For this reason, adapting to the circuit took a bit longer than expected for Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock. After a morning session where the results didn’t follow, it was only logical that both drivers found themselves back in the top 8 in the afternoon.

Jarno Trulli – 15th and 3rd:

We collected a lot of data here during our winter tests, but today’s conditions were very different. So, we had to adjust the setup to adapt the car to these much warmer temperatures. The track is also much more slippery than in February, but I guess that’s the same for everyone. We spent this Friday following our program regarding tires and setup. We still need a few more tests, but it’s not a bad start to the weekend.

Timo Glock – 17th and 8th:

During our winter testing on this circuit, we had a pretty consistent good pace, but today I found the car very difficult to drive. The lap time isn’t bad, but I feel an issue with the balance. So, we need to work tonight to fix our small problems before tomorrow’s qualifying and to secure a position worthy of our current status. If we can’t do that, I’m sure our strong start to the year will help us in the race on Sunday.

Dieter Gass – Chief Engineer for Racing and Testing:

« Overall, it was a very good day for us. Even though we ran well on this Sakhir track during the winter, there is a significant temperature difference compared to today. We therefore had to review some already tested elements. We made aerodynamic updates and adjustments to the brake cooling. The tire behavior seems less critical than in the last races. This is therefore a very good basis for achieving a good result on Sunday.