As you probably know by now, Jarno took another 2nd place on the podium with his performance. Ralf scored a 4th, making this the second race in a row for Panasonic Toyota Racing to finish in double points. We were 2nd and 5th in Malaysia, so this represents another forward up for us.

I just can’t tell you how pleased I am that we made the podium for the second race in a row, and a second double-points finish in a row at that. Racing against the other teams under dry conditions, it makes me feel that, all things equal, we can take on the best and come away at or near the top. Doing well once can be chalked up to luck. But do it again, and the world begins to recognize that you really have your act together as a team. We’ve achieved our goals, and we’ve been to the podium twice now already. That inevitably leads us to a new, clear goal: finishing on the top spot at the center of the podium. We all feel that the goal is not far from our reach, which only gives us added incentive to work faster and harder. We have a three-week break now, and then the European leg of the series begins. We are all dedicated to making the most of the time we have to improve as much as possible.

• Approaching the Second Session with an Eye Toward the Final Race
With that said, let’s talk about the qualifying session and the rest of the day. Ralf was in 11th position after the first qualifying session, but his time wasn’t too far off the cars ahead, so we decided to go a little light on fuel and try to improve his position. Wouldn’t you know it—our strategy worked, and Ralf moved up to 6th position on the starting grid. On the other hand, our strategy for Jarno was to get his car in the best position for the race, so we fully loaded his car with fuel. He dropped one position after qualifying, but I thought that starting third, he would still be in a good position to reach the podium at the end of the race. During the morning session, the track had some very dusty and windy areas, so pretty much every driver made at least a few minor mistakes. All in all, I think our drivers had an excellent qualifying.

We used the same strategy for Jarno here that we did in Malaysia—setting the car up for a strong race rather than trying to improve his position during the second qualifying session. We chose to run with an even amount of fuel in the first and second stints, and then go a little lighter for the tough third stint. For Ralf, we went with a volume of fuel that we thought would help him improve his position after qualifying, while still allowing him to maintain his position during the race. I think that worked out very well, indeed. Both cars were able to finish qualifying and the race just as we had planned going into the day.

We knew that the race conditions would be extremely hot. Going into the race, we had addressed issues such as rear tire wear, temperature control points, including engine water and oil temperature, and the brakes. And even though everything was stressed to the maximum during the race, we were able finish within our tolerance values. We decided to go with the softer tire option, but the wear wasn’t as bad as we feared. I have to extend my appreciation to Michelin for developing tires that would be able to handle these conditions.

• Gradually Improving Position to a Top Four Finish
At the start of the race, I thought that we would be able to make a pass at the first corner, but both cars ended up maintaining their positions. Jarno was running at a good pace for him, but I could tell Ralf was frustrated, stuck behind Webber. Fortunately, our fuel timing was perfect, and Ralf was able to move past. Jarno pitted for fuel one lap after Alonso, and continued to build up the laps running a strong race. Ralf ran off the track a few times, but I think this was more due to the fact that this track gets very slippery off line, and Ralf was pushing extremely hard. After heading into the third stint, we started looking at time differences between the cars in front and to the rear, just as we did in Malaysia. Of course, if we were close to Alonso, we would have gone for it, but it just wasn’t in the cards this time. Unlike last year, the pace didn’t fall off during the middle stage of the race, but I still think we had plenty of fighting capacity.

• Continue Aerodynamic Development, Work Toward a No. 1 Finish
Before the next race at Imola we’ll be testing a new aero package at Barcelona and Paul Ricard, and then we’ll have to decide if we’ll adopt it or not. Of course, we want to maximize the potential in the engine, the suspension and everywhere else, but the aerodynamics are extremely important at this point, which is why most of our attention will be focused there. To catch and pass our rivals, we feel that we do not have to work twice as hard—we have to work THREE times as hard. If we can do that, then I believe we will stand at the center of the podium, which is our new goal.

The next race is the beginning of the European leg. You can bet that we will all be working that much harder to reach the top of the podium.

As always, Panasonic Toyota Racing asks for your continued support at the next race, which is the Italian San Marino GP. Until next time…