GOODBYE RICHARD

The Brazilian Grand Prix marked Team Manager Richard Cregan's final race with Panasonic Toyota Racing. Richard joined Toyota in 1984 as a rally mechanic and won his very first event, the Safari Rally, but he will leave at the end of November to join Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management as Team Manager. So, the race team took the opportunity to say goodbye in front of the world's media, presenting him with a personalised Alpinestars race suit and assembling for a group photo.
He will remain at Toyota Motorsport until the end of November, so everyone else in the company still has plenty of time to say their goodbyes. It was also the last chance for Richard's fellow team managers to say goodbye and they presented him with a signed shirt.

NEWS FROM OUR RIVALS

Lewis Hamilton won the World Championship on the final lap in Brazil after an amazing contest.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa looked set to snatch the crown when he crossed the line to win the Brazilian Grand Prix, but Hamilton was one of two cars to pass Timo Glock on the final corner, taking fifth in the process.
That was enough to make him the youngest World Champion in history, winning by a single point from Massa.
There was some consolation for Ferrari, who wrapped up the Constructors' Championship.

Race Report

Panasonic Toyota Racing finished a positive season with a double points finish in an eventful Brazilian Grand Prix.
A shower just before the parade lap forced the race start to be delayed by 10 minutes and the team chose to switch both cars to wet weather Bridgestone Potenza tyres.
Jarno Trulli started from a brilliant second place and he made a strong start to hold position into the first corner, while Timo Glock made up a position from 10th on the grid.
The safety car came out on lap one for an incident further down the field and when the race resumed three laps later, both Toyotas held position. But the track was drying and Timo pitted for tyres only on lap eight, while Jarno led briefly before changing to dry tyres as well on lap 11.
Unfortunately his pit stop was slightly delayed, which cost him time and position. Timo moved up to sixth on lap 20 when he passed the Force India of Giancarlo Fisichella, but Jarno could not repeat that trick. He did pass Sebastien Bourdais but despite a lot of pressure, Fisichella held out. Timo made his final stop for tyres and fuel from fifth place on lap 36 and Jarno did the same seven laps later. It looked set to finish with Timo seventh and Jarno eighth but rain six laps from the end changed things.

Both drivers stayed out on dry tyres in the treacherous conditions and made up places initially before the slippery track became a real challenge. Timo was running fourth on the last lap but lost two places at the final corner, leaving him sixth while Jarno was eighth.
Timo said: "I was on dry tyres at the end of the race when it was raining quite badly and it was just impossible on the last lap. I was fighting as hard as I could but it was so difficult to just keep the car on the track and I lost positions right at the end of the lap. Finishing in the top six is a decent result for me because I'd been struggling with the car earlier in the weekend but we were very close to fourth place so I am a bit disappointed."
Jarno added: "Unfortunately I got stuck behind Fisichella who was much slower than me. I didn't have the top speed to overtake him so I lost a lot of time over those laps. As soon as I got away from him I was one of the quickest on the track, I was recovering quite a lot and closing the gap to the guys in front but it was not enough. When it rained we took the choice to stay on dry tyres and we got a point."

The four points gave Panasonic Toyota Racing a final total of 56 points, good enough for fifth in the Constructors' Championship, while both drivers finished in the top 10 in the drivers' standings. Jarno was ninth with 31 points with Timo 10th on 25.