Thank you all for your continued support. I would like to report on the debut of the TF106B car at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Aiming for good results in the TF106B's debut race

We took two TF106B cars for testing at the Paul Ricard circuit after the Spanish GP. After two racing drivers performed tests under Monaco specifications, further tests were done by two test drivers under Canadian specifications. The four days of testing went well. We brought in a T-car (spare car) as a third car to Monaco.

The main feature of the TF106B that ran at Monaco was its improved front suspension. Since changing the mounting locations of the pushrods (the structural components that transfer the force on the tires), the most obvious difference see is a new bump visible on the top of the TF106 body.

The chassis numbers were TF106/06, 07, 08. We used cars 06 and 07 in the tests, but at Monaco, Ralf drove number 07 and Jarno drove number 08. Number 08 was not in racing form at the time of the tests, but the team really pulled things together to make it ready in time for the race.

We changed the front suspension in the TF106B. Although the front suspension had been altered in 2005 when we changed from the TF105 to the TF105B, we had to make some compromises in terms of balance. Although the TF106 followed on from the TF105B, we have achieved a high level of balance by changing the front suspension. Both drivers brought a really good touch to the cars, and we were able to meet our design goals.

	There tends not to be enough downforce, which is the force pushing down on the body of the car to keep it on the road surface, at Monaco. So additional wings were attached to make up even a little for the inadequate downforce. Also, "Monaco spec" aerodynamics were used to give the same kind of treatment to the side pontoons.

Downforce is a real issue at Monaco. We have to put special specification parts on the cars. You can see over the drivers' helmets that there are three wings near the air pods. We also changed the way we handle the side pontoons. These are basically Monaco specifications. The cars will have a neater appearance in England.

Monaco was the debut race for the TF106B, so we were hoping to rack up some good statistics at the race.

Focus on long-distance driving of the TF106B in free practice

The Monaco GP, which is held according to a special schedule, had free practice on Thursday, a day earlier than other grand prix races in which free practices are held on Friday. In free practice that Thursday, we focused on checking out the cars. We had to be on the lookout for mechanical and electrical system problems, but the day ended with no issues. We usually manage to finish up only installation (functional checks) on the first day, but it was Jarno's car's first race, so we ran the cars flat out starting in the morning session.

As always, we had to choose which tires to use in the qualifying rounds and in the race. At Monaco, we continued to build on our experience, bringing an aerodynamic package with us, so we needed to see how they balanced. This relates to the fact that the road surface grip is low and to the weight of the tires, so people might wonder what was going on if they just took a look at our times. In fact, it really was a very productive day.

Goal for the qualifying rounds: Get both cars into the top ten

We had decided that the morning session would be about focusing on preparing for the race, but we still weren't getting our times (Jarno was 19th and Ralf was 21st). I had some thoughts about this: Both drivers are veterans, so they could figure out what the situation would be with new tires. We prepared to put on new tires if they were necessary, but we ended the session without having to put them on.

The TF105B had front suspension that represents an improvement over the TF105, and the TF106 represented further development. And now the TF106B is a version of the TF106 in which the suspension is equally balanced fore and aft.

I thought we'd finish up the qualifying rounds with both cars in the top ten, but unfortunately Ralf was not able to make good use of the tires in his first attack of the second qualifying round and ended up in 11th position. It was really unfortunate. Jarno aimed little higher, and his time earned him the 8th position. (After the time qualifying rounds, Jarno moved up to 6th and Ralf up to 10th position in the starting grid because Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella was demoted and Michael Schumacher was eliminated from the qualifying rounds.)

In terms of the drivers, the outcome shows that, even though the differences are very slight, the drivers have not made as much improvement in their form as they thought they had at the start of the their time attacks. Although we had performed tests at Paul Ricard beforehand, the road surface at Monaco is different. Of course, I knew that conditions would be different, and we started preparations as soon as we got back to TMG, but I guess we didn't quite make enough adjustments.

Despite unexpected trouble, it was a fruitful debut for the TF106

In the race, things were fine in the vicinity of the victory stand. It was really a pity that Jarno had mechanical trouble. It may have been a pump or a line: We don't know the exact cause of the problem. But there is no doubt it was a hydro leak. The oil pressure suddenly plummeted, the clutch stopped working, and so did the power steering.

It really happened all of a sudden. In the lap before he retired from the race, we contacted Jarno on the radio and asked him "What's your status?" Jarno said, "I'm not pushing now." If he pushed, a space would open with Coulthard to the rear, and that would have been OK. It was right after that conversation that he ended up having to pull out.

	The performance of the TF106 under race conditions was not stable, but the TF106B didn't manifest those kinds of uncertainties, and both Ralf and Jarno were able to keep up an excellent paces right to the end of the race. Unfortunately, however, Jarno had to drop out with mechanical trouble, and ended up finishing in 17th place.

Looking back on the race strategy up to that point, Jarno, who was being pushed forward by Honda's Rubens Barrichello, took a pit stop at the same time. At that point, he was doing the circuit at 1 minute 19 to 20 seconds but I don't know, maybe Barrichello was going flat out, or was saving. I expected that the pace would drop if Jarno refueled so, considering the risk, I didn't use the strategy of bringing him into the pit early on.

On the other hand, for Ralf, everything was in the start. Jarno's start was like that, too, but we used the strategy of cutting refueling stops by one stop, and putting in a lot of fuel, so maybe the start didn't go so well. After that, you're just affected by the pace of the cars in front of you no matter what. I thought that both Ralf and Jarno had picked up the pace.

It's too bad that it didn't pay off, but they ran all the way through at a consistent pace, so I think that we gained a lot by putting the TF106B into this race. The team and the cars are developing from race to race, and I truly look forward our fans' continuing support.