Unfortunately, we couldn’t come up with a third podium finish in a row. We did earn a few points, but we are by no means satisfied. I guess you could say that we cleared the bare minimum level of acceptability this weekend. This is the second race on our engines, which took a beating under the hot conditions of the Bahrain GP last time. A circuit like Imola, where you’re on full-throttle quite a lot, is also hard on the engines, if for a different reason. But both cars were able to complete the entire race without incident. For the upcoming Spain GP, we will be brining fresh engines with performance upgrades. Our number one priority is to go back to the drawing boards, and regain the pace that led us to such strong finishes in the last two races.

• Set up for the race; try to improve positions in qualifying
As we have done for the past few races, we approached the second round of qualifying mainly preparing for the race. We still hoped we would be able to improve at least one position somehow, but we know that if we went too light on the fuel for qualifying, then we would definitely hurt our chances in the race.

Ralf was slated to go ninth for his attack run, which I think was a disadvantage compared to Jarno, who was scheduled to go 15th. In my opinion, the time difference between these two was merely the result of who got the better feel for the conditions at the time. In any event, both drivers made their attack runs without any mistakes, and both improved their positions for the race, so I think the second qualifying session went pretty much according to expectations.

Throughout morning qualifying we felt there was a good chance for rain during the second half of the race, so we decided to hold off on fuel strategy for the second pit stop until the very last moment. However, just before the race we got word that it probably wouldn’t rain, so we decided to go with our original race strategy.

• A finish in the points, despite a tough race
I think both Jarno and Ralf had good starts. Jarno, who started toward the front of the lineup overtook Webber of the Williams team for fourth. Meanwhile, Ralf lost two positions, but I don’t think he could have done much about that. Starting in the middle of the pack, things get so jumbled and confused that many drivers get caught in unfavorable positions. At any rate, our team had a good start, all things considered.

We went with a setup that incorporated a little more downforce to make things easier on the tires. Unfortunately, part-way through the race, Jarno reported an oversteer tendency in his car, which prevented him from pushing the pace. I think this was probably the biggest contributing factor to why the race went the way it did. When you have oversteer issues, you have to go slower, and then you’re watching for cars coming up behind you, which causes another drop in pace. Jarno just got caught up in a kind of vicious circle. The pit crew had been told about the oversteer problem, and had been given instructions to make adjustments in the diffuser and traction control. The crew made what changes they could, but Jarno still had troubles out on the track.

While Ralf was actually outpacing Jarno, Ralf was caught up in traffic, and had a hard time getting past. During the last part of the race, Heidfeld came up strong, but the course conditions made it extremely difficult to overtake, so we were more concerned with catching Villenueve, who was ahead of us.

With its bumps and curbs, Imola is a fairly unique circuit. I don’t think this race proved any great changes with respect to team strength. However, we have to note that Bridgestone has revived, and the Ferrari team looks like they are back in form. BAR and Sauber have also gotten faster, so I think the rest of the season could turn into a free-for-all fight.

• Get faster, and return to our former pace
We had originally planned to go from here to Silverstone and conduct testing, but since the weather forecast is not promising, we did some hasty rescheduling. Now, we’ll be in Jerez for two days, evaluating tires and testing some new items.

The fresh engines we are bringing to the Spain GP will feature an upgraded performance specification. I think these engines will enhance our competitiveness, and help us regain the former pace that led us to two podium finishes earlier in the season. Having seen what the other teams have done, I think the rest of the season will be tough, but we are going to buckle down and do everything we can to finish on top. Last year we were happy if we got any points at all, but our goals are different this year, and we have much, much higher expectations.

Thank you again for visiting the official Panasonic Toyota Racing website. We’ll be looking for you at the next race. Until then…