28/04/2002

Spanish Grand Prix - Race

After difficult sessions on Friday and Saturday both Panasonic Toyota Racing cars finished the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona today. Allan McNish ended the race in 8th whilst Mika Salo suffered a punctured tyre early in the race and came 9th.

Allan McNish - Car No. 25

Position:	8th 64/65 laps completed
Chassis:	TF102/05

"Considering the starting position it was a good race for us. The balance moved a bit through the race but certainly the car got stronger. The best thing is we had a two-car finish and that experience will be very good for the team. To have the second finish under my belt this year is great and I quite enjoyed it!"

Mika Salo - Car No. 24

Position:	9th 64/65 laps completed
Chassis:	TF102/04

"I am reasonably happy even though I had an unscheduled stop due to a punctured left rear tyre which effectively ruined my race. It is a shame because the car was feeling very good and my lap times were respectable. I lost a lot of time as I couldn't get past Ralf Schumacher who had problems but it was good to get 9th place after he retired."

Ove Andersson - President
"To get both cars to the end of the race in 8th and 9th is wonderful. It goes to show that if you want to get a result you have to finish and we did that today. Mika had a puncture near the start of the race but there were no major technical problems and I am very pleased for the whole team who have worked so hard all weekend."

Weather:	Dry with hazy sunshine
Temperatures:	Air - Min 19°C Max 21°C Track - Min 21°C Max 23°C Average humidity 63%
T-car:	Chassis TF102/02 set up for Mika Salo

Review
Mika and Allan were 18th and 21st respectively after Friday's free practice completing 65 laps between them. Saturday's qualifying session saw the team struggle around the Catalunya circuit. Salo put his TF102 in 18th with McNish two places further back in 20th.

Preview
The team now moves to Estoril for a three-day test session. Test driver Ryan Briscoe will drive all days at the Portuguese track from 30th April to 2nd May.