Thank you for your support over the weekend. Here is my report from the German Grand Prix, our second "home" grand prix of the season after the Grand Prix of Europe.

"This time for sure." Working toward both cars finishing a complete race.

For most of the season, we haven't been able to achieve our goal of getting both cars to finish an entire race. Determined that "this time" we'll get it right, we have come to Hockenheim intent on having both cars complete the entire race. We are confident that achieving this goal will also lead directly to stronger race results.

In addition to both cars driving the new spec engine at the German GP, Panasonic Toyota Racing also introduced some improvements in aerodynamic performance. While Jarno Trulli was sidelined with engine trouble during Saturday's free practice, Ralf Schumacher took up the slack, performing the aerodynamic comparisons. As a result of these tests, Jarno was able to pass 13 cars during the race.

Our new spec engine was actually in Ralf's car two weeks ago at the French Grand Prix. The RPMs are slightly higher than in the previous iteration. Our plan was to introduce the new spec for both cars at this race, but Ralf was forced to retire early during the United States Grand Prix, and we decided to go ahead and put the new engine in Ralf's car one race earlier than originally planned. Jarno will have a fresh engine for this race, so both our cars will be running the same specification.

As far as aerodynamics, we have made some slight changes to the front of the side pods, which has given us better efficiency through the air. With France being so hot two weeks ago, we expected the same kind of temperatures in Hockenheim, and came fully prepared for hot weather.

Friday: A "misfire" affected by fickle weather

I would characterize Friday as a "misfire." I am still trying to figure out what actually happened. We started our installation laps as we always do on Friday mornings, but the brake temperatures on Ralf's car indicated an imbalance, so we changed out his pads and rotors.

Jarno again reported vibrations in his car, and with so much discussion about vibration lately, we decided to take an extra cautious approach to investigating the issue. Actually, we had been planning on putting in some measurement laps during P1 (first free practice session), but we weren't able to complete any measurement laps before the session ended. To compensate for the lack of progress in the morning, our plan for the P2 afternoon session was to drive a good number of laps. Unfortunately, rain prevented us from running the program we designed. If only it had rained harder, then we could have changed over to wet tires for testing, but the light rain left us with our program only partially finished.

In the end, at least we were able to do the minimum amount to address the tire comparison issues, but the session ended before we could accomplish any of the other goals we had going in. Even so, the team wasn't particularly worried.

Friday was also the day that we announced Jarno's three-year contract extension, and I am excited to be able to continue to work with him. Jarno alluded to growth in his comments in the official press release, and I can speak for the entire Panasonic Toyota Racing team when I say we believe we can grow much more as well. We want to continue to work closely with Jarno, aiming for bigger and better things.

Bad luck on Saturday casts dark clouds over a two-car finish in the points. Expectations for a U.S. GP-style come-from-behind performance.

The weather conditions meant that our Friday session ended most unsatisfactorily. I had hoped to have a productive Saturday, but Jarno's engine suffered a catastrophic failure during the morning session. The engine was barely off the factory floor, with not even 100km to that point. I knew we would have to spend time to make a thorough investigation into the problem.

	Everyone anticipated high temperatures at the German GP, as Europe was feeling the effects of a heat wave. Panasonic Toyota Racing made sure that all of the heat precautions taken earlier in France were implemented for the race in Germany as well. With weather reports indicating rainy weather during qualifying, the team anticipated that also having an effective rain strategy would be key.

Meanwhile, Ralf's morning was progressing smoothly. We were able to test the new wings, and finalize his setup. With Jarno sidelined, Ralf took up the slack, helping us determine our settings for qualifying and for the race.

Everything was going according to plan for Ralf during qualifying, until late in the session when Ralf's car came into contact with another car. Ralf came in to the pits, where we changed the steering rod and nose. Of course, not being on the track during the repairs, Ralf was forced to make his final attack being five laps heavier on fuel than we had planned. The result was a time slower than we wanted, but there really wasn't much Ralf or the team could have done. Considering the amount of fuel on board, I would say the results were fairly decent.

The team did have an "intense discussion" before Jarno's qualifying session. With the engine change, Jarno was going to lose 10 spots on the grid, even if he made it through to Q3. As a result of our debate, we decided to preserve his tires. We approached Q1 in the same manner we always do, and then we held off having Jarno go out onto the track until the last waning seconds of Q2, leaving enough time for a single attack lap.

Our work and patience pays off with both cars completing the race. Capturing points for a fourth consecutive race.

Since the second race of the year in Malaysia, we have had to wait a long time to see both cars complete a race. All along, we said that our goal was to have both cars finish, and we've finally been able to achieve that target. The race was very hectic, but the cars were solid, and I feel like our hard work was rewarded with a very high level of car performance.

At a disadvantage off the starting grid, Ralf finished 9th and out of the points. Starting from P20 on the grid, Jarno passed car after car, finishing in 7th, putting in a strong performance in Germany on the same weekend that Panasonic Toyota Racing announced Jarno's contract extension through 2009.

I think we could have expected even better results if we hadn't had to change Jarno's engine prior to qualifying. And the same goes for Ralf. We weren't able to secure the preferred odd-numbered spot on the grid, and owing to low grip on the right side of the track, Ralf was at a disadvantage off the start. After that, Ralf's car bumped with another in the hairpin, and to add insult to injury, Ralf was assessed a drive-through penalty for excessive speed in the pit lane.

The accumulation of these minor incidents resulted in lost position out on the track. With good reliability and solid race operations, we should be able to expect much stronger race results.

The speed trap measurements during the race showed Jarno as the fastest car. We knew Jarno would be starting from the back of the grid, so we used a lower downforce specification on his car compared to Ralf's for better overtaking on the straights. When engine trouble kept Jarno off the track during Saturday's free practice, Ralf drove in Jarno's stead for our aero tests, the results of which we also reflected in Jarno’s car.

The strategy worked well, and Jarno was able to steadily improve his position throughout the race. The greedy side of me hoped that Jarno could have moved up slightly more at the last.

There is no doubt that we are steadily improving. Now it's just a question of preparation for us to achieve better results. Both cars finished the entire race for the first time in a long time, and we will be working even harder to see both cars win points for us in Hungary. Thank you, and please continue to cheer on Panasonic Toyota Racing.