10/03/2004

Mike Gascoyne reflects on Australia

From a performance point of view the Australian Grand Prix was disappointing for everyone at Panasonic Toyota Racing because 12th and 13th is not where we want to be finishing races this year. But on a positive note both cars were reliable - not quick enough but reliable - and to use that old motor racing adage to finish first first you have to finish.

Having said that we had an electrical problem with Olivier's car during qualifying which meant that we couldn't start his car in time for his second run. All the cars have fly-by-wire throttles these days and there was some electrical damage to his car's throttle which meant that it wouldn't fire up.

From a handling point of view the drivers said that the TF104 was quite consistent around Albert Park and that the balance was actually quite good. The only problem was that the car was not generating enough grip both aerodynamically and by not getting the maximum from the tyres.

These problems were compounded during the race because the drivers had to get off-line when they were being lapped so their tyres got dust on them and they went even slower. So yes we finished the race two laps down but it wasn't as bad as it looked.

We have many developments scheduled for the next few grands prix almost on a race-by-race basis so I am confident that we will start to make progress quickly. In Malaysia we have a new front wing and some new turning vanes and there are more new parts scheduled for Bahrain prior to a complete re-packaging of the car at Imola.

I'd like to take this opportunity to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with our engine. Luca Marmorini [technical director engine] and his team have done a tremendous job and have produced what I consider to be a World Championship-winning engine. Our main problems are with the chassis and in particular its aerodynamics. But we already have programmes in place to rectify the situation and everyone is working flat-out to get us where we need to be which is at the front of the grid.

Looking at the dynamics of the team we have started to think longer-term. For instance we have appointed a TF104 project manager which has freed up [chief designer] Gustav Brunner to concentrate on our 2005 car.

While we can have much better races with this car than the one we had in Australia - by maximising the potential of the tyre for starters - we won't improve it at races. We will improve it in the windtunnel and in the design office and that is what we are doing.

The new rules this year with qualifying only on Saturdays and one-engine-per-weekend for the race drivers have limited track time so it's hard to get any meaningful testing done other than with the third driver. Ricardo Zonta did a good job for us on Friday although his progress was limited to just 42 laps by an electrical problem. He provided the team with very valuable information particularly with regard to tyre choice so I hope he will get a better run in Malaysia - where the hot conditions should suit our Michelin tyres better than was the case in Australia.