28/07/2002

German Grand Prix - Race

Starting from 17th and 19th on the grid the German Grand Prix was never going to be easy for Panasonic Toyota Racing. Salo finished his first race since Austria in May driving a solid and trouble-free race to 9th. McNish made up places at the start of the race but hydraulic problems forced him to retire on lap 24.

Mika Salo - Car No. 24

Position:	9th 66/67 laps completed
Chassis:	TF102/07

"I didn't get such a good start and the car didn't feel very good in the first stint with a lot of oversteer. We dropped the front wing on my first stop and from then on the car was competitive. When you start from 19th it is not going to be easy to get a result but simply finishing the race today was a good result for us after the recent reliability problems we have had."

Allan McNish - Car No. 25

Position:	DNF 23/67 laps completed
Chassis:	TF102/08

"When I left the pits after my scheduled stop the car just did not accelerate correctly. I tried to get the car back to the pits but unfortunately I got stuck at the end of the straight. It seems there was a hydraulics problem. We were beginning to go well and I was looking forward to the rest of the race. It is frustrating no question about it."

Ove Andersson - President
"I am very relieved we have managed to finish a race after so many retirements. It means a tremendous amount to all of us. I feel sorry for Allan but ahead of the three-week break to get a finish is a big boost and we can look towards Hungary with confidence."

Weather:	Hot and sunny
Temperatures:	Air - Min 29°C Max 31°C Track - Min 34°C Max 40°C Average humidity 30%
T-car:	TF102/06 set up for Allan McNish

Review
Friday free practice saw Panasonic Toyota Racing's debut in Hockenheim. Allan and Mika worked on different programmes concentrating on car set-up and were 9th and 18th respectively on the timesheets. Qualifying proved tough as varying track conditions resulted in car set-up trouble. Allan qualified 17th Mika 19th.

Preview
Formula 1 takes a three-week break now heading into the final 5 races of the season. Free practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix begins in Budapest on 17 August.