23/07/2004

Grand Prix of Germany Free Practice Round-Up

Cristiano da Matta (Car 16 Chassis TF104/10B)
First Session Classification: 12th 21 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m17.111s (+1.355s)
Second Session Classification: 18th 26 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m17.300s (+2.299s)
"We opted to do our tyre comparison work in the first of today's practice sessions before turning our attention to setting up the new TF104B car. As a result of this we did not do any runs on new tyres in the second session so the times are unrepresentative. Most of the updated aerodynamic parts have only been run for the first time today so it is difficult to gauge our real performance. As the weekend progresses we will obtain a much clearer indication of where we stand but there is still a lot to be done tomorrow morning."

Olivier Panis (Car 17 Chassis TF104/09B)
First Session Classification: 6th 20 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m16.484s (+0.728s)
Second Session Classification: 19th 23 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m17.419s (+2.418s)
"We had two difficult practice sessions today because it was the first time the new TF104B car has run in its full configuration. We have had to use today as more of a test session to work on the set-up and to try all the new parts. It is hard to condense everything we have to do into just two hours. Having said that we have acquired a lot of data which we have to analyse overnight and work hard for a better day tomorrow."

Ricardo Zonta (Car 38 Chassis TF104/03)
First Session Classification: 4th 36 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m16.340s (+0.584s)
Second Session Classification: 10th 38 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m16.200s (+1.199s)
"It was quite a good day with a lot of valuable laps completed. We found a good balance on the car almost immediately and then we did a series of long runs to evaluate the two different tyre compounds. In the end we found some encouraging results for the race. Although I was driving the standard TF104 today the data we have obtained will still be useful for the TF104Bs because the overall behaviour of the tyres is the same. With the additional downforce on the new car the performance of old tyres will be more consistent and the time benefit on new Michelins should be greater."

Mike Gascoyne - Technical Director Chassis
"With both race drivers we opted to do our tyre comparison in the first session which meant that we only ran on old tyres in the second practice. We should not read too much into the time differences between the TF104 and TF104B. We used the second hour effectively as a test session to improve the balance of the car and to improve the new aero package. We made good progress. Ricardo meanwhile carried out his normal programme of tyre evaluation in both sessions so we have concentrated on ensuring we are in as good shape as possible for tomorrow. That will be when we really see how competitive the updated car is."