TF105 Setup Changes
"Working on Aerodynamics to the Very Last"

At the unveiling of the TF105 last January, DTC (Director of Technical Coordination) Keizo Takahashi told those in attendance,"We plan on making major changes to the TF105 right up until the opening race." As good as his word, the Panasonic Toyota team made a lot of significant upgrades to aerodynamic components during the Barcelona tests in mid-February. Modified components included the front wing, the front nose, the turning vanes, the engine cover, the brake ducts, and more. Perhaps the most notable change was made to the so-called side crash wing, located in front of the side pontoons. The changes here made for remarkable improvements in aerodynamic performance. Takahashi tells us the revisions in F1 specification regulations for this season had reduced downforce in their car by almost 25%, but this major development has meant that the TF105 has regained downforce comparing favorably with the machine used last year.

At Melbourne, more changes have been made to the rear wing, rear suspension arm, and engine cover wing. DTC Takahashi says,"All of these changes have had an effect on our aerodynamics." In fact, aerodynamics was one of the weak points of Toyota's TF104 racing machine last year. But this year's TF105 is considered a masterwork of aerodynamics performed by aerodynamics specialist Mike Gascoyne. The team continued to make changes here and there right up until qualifying, with components arriving at the circuit as late as Friday morning.

Friday
"Collecting as much Data as Possible"

With the new"one engine, two race" rule implemented this year, most teams seemed reluctant to put too many miles on their machines during Friday's free practice session. Panasonic Toyota had different ideas, completing more laps with their three machines (including the two regular cars) than any other team at the circuit.

Takahashi says,"This year we ran all three engines as much as we felt comfortable, and we collected a lot of data." During the morning's practice session, third driver Ricardo Zonta completed 20 laps. And where the regular drivers for most teams didn't even drive, Ralf Schumacher ran 12 laps, and Jarno Trulli drove 10. Friday afternoon, most of the other teams began to run test laps to evaluate tires, but Toyota's Ralf drove 16 more laps, with Jarno and even Zonta running 24 and 31 more laps, respectively. There's no doubt Toyota is fully confident of the durability of their engines this year.

Takahashi says,"With all of the lap data today, we were really able to confirm the effects of our aerodynamic changes. We still need to run a bit more to see what the effect will be on our times, though. We really don't know how the other teams are running, yet. What we do know is that our long run times are good, and we've hit our performance marks. The only major concern right now is our tires. For this race we brought two types of Michelin compound tires. We're having some trouble deciding which to go with. The option tires are going to wear a lot in the front, but are probably the best choice for qualifying. Tire choice is much more important this year than last, which is why you really have to use Friday free practice to hit top speed out of long runs. I would grade our performance today as an A+; we hit all of the marks on our program."

Takahashi was feeling positive, believing Friday's testing went exactly as planned.

"There are still a few things we can't see that might affect our time, but it looks like it will be every bit as tight a race as we predicted. I'm getting nervous all over again! But now we know we're in a position to compete. We were able to confirm that today. Last year our times were so much slower that it was a tremendous shock. After today, I feel like we have a strong chance this year."

Saturday
"Trulli Pushes his Machine to the Limit, Qualifying in Second Place!"

On Friday, DTC Takahashi predicted rain for Saturday's qualifying race. He was right. It rained Saturday morning, but the weather began to clear by the start of qualifying, even though the track itself was still completely wet as qualifying started. However, one could actually see the track begin to dry as each car took its turn. The first qualifying session was run in the reverse order of last year's Brazilian Grand Prix results, with Trulli going ninth, and Ralf going sixteenth. By the time Trulli was ready to hit the course, the track was almost completely dry.

Takahashi says,"When it was time for Trulli to go, we weren't sure which tires to use. We figured it was still a little soon, so we went with intermediates. It looks like we were right!"

Trulli marked a quick 1m 35.276s qualifying lap, which put him in the pole position by 1.5s over M. Webber, who had the best time to that point. Neither of the next two racers, David Coulthard and Jacques Villeneuve, could better Jarno's time. After Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella marked a 1m 33.171s lap to beat out Jarno for the pole position, the rains came back with a vengeance.

"Actually, our weather forecaster had told us it would rain again during qualifying. He even predicted the rain to fall about the time Ralf was ready to qualify," said Takahashi.

This year Toyota hired its own weather forecaster, who has made significant contributions in Melbourne. This valuable addition is just one more sign of Toyota's commitment to build a winning team.

With several cars spinning out, race officials temporarily suspended qualifying. Ralf was the first to drive after qualifying resumed, but was only able to finish in seventeenth position.

"Jarno was fortunate to drive while the weather was good, but even so, he was able to push the TF105 to its absolute limit. On the other hand, Ralf was just unlucky. During the morning, we weren't sure what the rain would be like during qualifying, so we ran heavy rain, intermediate, and finally dry tires to find the right balance. That let us find the right setup for the afternoon's weather."

The F1 2005 Series regulations state that the final grid positions are determined by the aggregate of Saturday and Sunday morning qualifying times. Although today's results are not final, a two-second deficit behind Saturday's top qualifier and a 1.5 second lead over the number three qualifier means the chances are strong that Jarno will secure second position on the grid for the race.

"With the significant time difference both ahead and behind on the grid right now, I can see some different strategies playing out during tomorrow's second qualifying run. Looking at the possible conditions for the final, we really hope Jarno can keep his second position. Given the 50% chance of rain tomorrow morning, it looks like it could be another rough qualifier just like today. There's a 25% chance of rain during the afternoon's final race, so the team that reads the weather situation best is going to be in a good position to win."

Last year's"Melbourne Shock" left the Toyota team disheartened. This year, a different kind of shock could propel Toyota to the top of the standings.