Qualifying - Rd.12 Belgian Grand Prix
Belgian Grand Prix - Qualifying Round-Up
29.08.2009
Panasonic Toyota Racing returned to the front row of the grid in an exciting qualifying session for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps today. Following a promising final practice session, which saw Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock continue their impressive form from yesterday to record top-six lap times, the team was optimistic for qualifying. That optimism proved to be fully justified as both drivers established themselves as serious contenders from the opening laps in first qualifying. After an initial run on the medium compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres, they switched to soft rubber to cruise into second qualifying, with Jarno already a clear pole position contender. That pattern continued in second qualifying when Jarno was fastest of all on soft tyres, with Timo also fighting for a top-six spot to set the scene for a remarkable final session. Jarno was in the hunt from the beginning, trading fastest times and both drivers, still using the soft tyres, improved on their final run. Jarno missed pole position by the narrowest of margins but nevertheless claimed his third front-row starting spot of the season while Timo was also on the pace, taking his best qualifying result since the Spanish Grand Prix in May.
Jarno Trulli - Car 9, Chassis TF109-06
3rd Practice: 2nd, 1m 45.462s (+0.074s), 18 laps
1st Qualifying: 2nd, 1m 45.140s (+0.038s), 10 laps
2nd Qualifying: 1st, 1m 44.503s, 5 laps
3rd Qualifying: 2nd, 1m 46.395s (+0.087s), 6 laps
"I am very happy to be on the front row again. We have always known that when things go right we have a very competitive car and all weekend we have looked extremely strong. In qualifying I was always in the top two, even though in first qualifying I took it a bit easy. I did a very quick lap in third qualifying and second place gives us a great chance tomorrow. We dropped the downforce a bit yesterday and spent most of the time balancing the car. Then we made a small change to the set-up this morning so I had better handling and traction for qualifying and it worked well. Also, I spent most of the weekend driving on race fuel so I am very happy with how things have turned out and it is looking pretty good for tomorrow. I have to thank the team who have worked really hard to improve and get a result like this; I dedicate it to all my mechanics."
Timo Glock - Car 10, Chassis TF109-05
3rd Practice: 5th, 1m 45.908s (+0.520s), 18 laps
1st Qualifying: 7th, 1m 45.450s (+0.348s), 9 laps
2nd Qualifying: 7th, 1m 44.877s (+0.374s), 5 laps
3rd Qualifying: 7th, 1m 46.677s, (+0.369s) 6 laps
"Today was a good result for the whole team and it is a nice feeling to be fighting at the front again. My lap was pretty tidy so overall I am happy with it; we have worked hard on improving the qualifying pace and we got our reward today. The team brought a new aero package to this race and it seems to be working well. From the start of the weekend we believed we could be strong here because the car felt quick throughout practice and it's great to carry that speed into qualifying. We had good race pace in Hungary and Valencia so I am optimistic for tomorrow. I hope to finish in the top five; it will not be easy but I'm really looking forward to the challenge."
Pascal Vasselon - Senior General Manager Chassis
"It has been a good weekend for us so far and we are happy to be back at the front. We saw from the start of the weekend that both cars were quick and consistent in all conditions and it is a good feeling. For the first time in three races we have qualified where our race pace has been so the weekend looks promising and we are ready for an exciting Sunday tomorrow. Congratulations to our drivers who have done a very impressive job this weekend; they both work extremely hard and it is very satisfying to see that rewarded. I would also like to say thanks to the people back at the factory, as well as those here at the track. They never give up and it is particularly pleasing to deliver a good performance at Spa, which is so close to the factory in Cologne. Now our clear target is to convert this strong qualifying into a result tomorrow."
- Free Practice 1
- Free Practice 2
- Free Practice 3
- Qualify
- Race
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| Not Classified DNF : Did Not Finish | |||||||||
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