12 Jun,2007 (Tue)

Thank you for your continued support. Having finished the Monaco GP, the F1 World Championship says goodbye to Europe for a short time, and moves to North America. Here is my report from very eventful Canadian Grand Prix.

Tires are the key to conquering the unique course conditions in Canada

There were no tests between the end of the Monaco GP and the start of the Canadian GP, but we did perform tests oriented toward Montreal during the last half of the Paul Ricard joint tests immediately prior to the Monaco GP. Based on those results, we adopted an aerodynamic package with less downforce than we would use at a regular circuit. The tires available were the super soft and soft compounds, just as we had at Monaco. How to effectively use the super soft tires was be a key point, since the track grip at Montreal is quite a bit lower than even Monaco. Last year there were issues with parts of the track peeling away, but the problem was taken care of in the interim, and after checking the circuit, we didn't believe there would be any problems this year.

Inexplicable upright troubles in Jarno's car

At the end of the first practice session during the first day of the Canadian GP, Ralf (Schumacher) was P8 and Jarno (Trulli) was P12 on the time charts-not a bad start at all. Which made the troubles during the afternoon session all the more bitter.

The troubles all occurred with Jarno's car, at the front right upright. On each occasion, the trouble happened at the entry into the third chicane on Turn 8. However, we were using the same proven and reliable upright we had been using throughout the entire season, with no new specifications or changes. We urgently contacted the factory in Cologne, Germany, to investigate the issue, but we could only conclude that the cause of the trouble was a combination of the unique characteristics of the Montreal circuit and Jarno's driving style at Turn 8, rather than an issue with a certain part on the car.

In fact, Ralf experienced no problems at all. However, we did bring Ralf in off the circuit, since the trouble with the upright (linking the suspension and the tire) is a significant safety issue. We started forming our response for Saturday and beyond, making doubly sure to resolve the problem.

Jarno beats adverse circumstances to qualify in the Top 10 for the first time in three races

After our investigation, we came to the conclusion the Jarno's upright trouble on the first day involved stress occurring between the suspension of the TF107 and Jarno's driving over the curb in Turn 8. Or rather, we were able to confirm that Jarno's put his front right tire quite a bit over the curb when he passed through Turn 8. At that section in Turn 8 there is a projection like a railroad crosstie, and we believe that hitting that with the front right tire caused an abnormal shock to the upright.

However, just to be safe, we instructed each driver that we would prefer if they didn't drive too far over the curb in Turn 8. Since we weren't able to complete our program on Friday, we spent all of Saturday's free practice getting ready for qualifying. As a result, we weren't able to provide the drivers with a satisfactory setup before going into qualifying.

I am grateful that, despite the circumstances, Jarno was able to qualify in the Top 10 for the first time in three races. While the traffic was certainly one factor that kept Ralf from moving beyond the first qualifying period, we are painfully aware that the biggest factor was our inability to provide a good setup for Ralf.

In races where we start in the Top 10, we definitely have aspirations to win Championship points. Ralf started from the grid at P18, but the safety car usually makes quite a few appearances at the Canadian GP, so you never know what can happen. We went into the race with the feeling that we would fight tenaciously to the end.

Issues remain, but Ralf wins our first points since the Bahrain GP

As expected, the race developed into quite a rough affair, with the safety car coming out on the circuit on four separate occasions. As a result, starting from P18 on the grid Ralf was able to finish P8 in the race, and help us achieve our minimum goal of winning Championship points-our first since the Bahrain GP. I would have to say that I can't complain about the result. However, we have much to reconsider given that the trouble on Friday kept us from performing as we desired.

Right after the restart of the race, whether due to Jarno's collision with Kubica (BMW Sauber) or due to running over debris on the course, Jarno lost air pressure in his right rear tire, forcing him into the pits earlier than planned. Later, while the safety car was on the course for an extended period of time, we changed Jarno's car to the super soft compound on his second pit stop on lap 29, as we predicted unstable lap times. In the end, Jarno crashed on lap 59, but he fought hard to the end, despite his Friday troubles. Jarno took great care not to ride to far over the curb in Turn 8 during the race.
We have learned our lesson, and will be bringing a newly redesigned upright to the United States GP. Panasonic Toyota Racing is dedicated to showing our true performance at the second race of the North American round in the United States GP. Please cheer us on.

Noritoshi Arai at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit. Ralf captured one point in a rough race, fighting low grip throughout. Panasonic Toyota Racing is looking for a consecutive points win at next week's United States GP.