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05 Aug,2008 (Tue)

Thank you, as always, for your support over the weekend. Having started in March, the F1 season is already into August now, with only three months left before the final race. The first race of August also happens to be the only race in Eastern Europe–the Hungarian Grand Prix. Here is my report from the Hungarian Grand Prix, a mid–summer festival reaching temperature highs of 30°C.

A detailed analysis of the cause of trouble in Timo’s car

Before I address the Hungarian GP, first I want to report back to you about the trouble Timo Glock’s car experience during the German Grand Prix two weeks ago. After returning to Cologne, we went over the car in fine detail at the factory, ultimately determining the reason that Timo’s car went out of control in the final turn at the Hockenheimring. The cause of Timo’s crash as a broken toe rod (part that secures the wheel) in the right rear wheel of Timo’s car. Normally, this part is expected to last for about one half of a season, so the issue wasn’t one of durability. Making a thorough investigation of the race data, we came to the conclusion that the trigger for the incident was damage incurred when Timo’s car went off course during the British GP, the race prior to the German GP. Based on our conclusions, we revised our in–factory safety management measures, immediately implementing steps to prevent this kind of problem from happening again.
Now, concerning the race at hand, the Hungarian GP is held at the Hungaroring circuit, which demands a high–downforce specification, as it is the second-most narrow and twisting course of the year next to the Monaco circuit. We introduced updated aerodynamic parts in various sections of the car, updating the specification we used in Monaco last May. Perhaps the most definitive change was the introduction of the shark fin stretching horizontally from the back of the engine cowl. Since our regular drivers did not have the chance to test the part during the joint testing held the week prior to the Hungarian GP, our plan was to compare the new cowl to the former cowl during practice on Friday, making our decision whether to adopt the new part after the conclusion of practice.

After a favorable reception, the new shark fin engine cowl makes its debut

Jarno (Trulli) and Timo came in at P9 and P11, respectively, on the time charts during Friday practice. We weren’t unduly concerned at that point, since these best times were recorded during the course of certain program steps. The drivers were experiencing some difficulty with tire graining, but graining on the softer tire compound is never a rare thing at the Hungaroring, and we didn’t see anything that surprised us.
After testing both the former and the new engine cowls, our drivers confirmed on course that the new shark fin was faster, and accordingly, we made the decision to adopt the new engine cowl for Saturday and Sunday. We had difficulties in Sector 2 last year, but this year we moved through the sector very smoothly, which raised our expectations for qualifying and for the race. Our goal was to have both cars advance to the final period, and further to qualify well in the middle of the top 10.

Both cars qualify in the top 10, despite less–than-satisfying attack laps

I suppose that we should have been happier to achieve our minimum goal of having both cars qualify in the top 10. Still, we didn’t reach our goal of having the cars both solidly in the middle of the top 10, so to be honest, the result was slightly disappointing. In particular, Timo’s best attack lap was on a set of tires that had already been used once, and the fresh set didn’t seem to do anything to improve his attack lap time. Normally, a new set of tires would result in a gain of several tenths of a second, so at worst Timo could have qualified at P4, or perhaps even at P3 if things had worked out better.
Jarno was fighting car balance throughout the entire weekend, and while he did record third–fastest lap during the Q1, the balance issue came back during Q3.
Despite the fact that the team couldn’t get all of the potential out of the car, Timo was able to qualify P5 and Jarno P9, both reaching the top 10, and one car in the top five. I think this proves that our direction in development isn’t mistaken. We re–focused on our goal to win as many points as possible in the race to defend our position in fourth in the Constructor’s Championship. We also hoped that we could reach the podium if the opportunity presented itself.

Thanks to both drivers and team staff, Panasonic Toyota Racing completed the 70–lap race, and captured P2 on our merits

While we hoped for an opportunity to make the podium, we were fortunate enough to get預nd capitalize–on our chance during the race, finishing P2. This wonderful race result was every bit due to the drivers and team staff working as one unit.
First of all, Timo got off to a superb start, overtaking Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber), and settling into P4 behind Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and the two McLaren cars. Timo continued to run every bit as fast as Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren), driving a strong race. However, we had trouble with the nozzle of the fueling rig during the first pit stop, losing about six seconds, and allowing Kovalainen to extend the gap. Despite our problem, we had a backup system in place that functioned well, keeping the time loss to a minimum, and helping Timo maintain P4. This turned out to be another important factor in our race result.
After switching to the super–soft tires at the second pit stop, Timo endured a furious onslaught from Kimi Raikkonen. But our car was fast in Sector 3 (before the home straight), and we were confident that we could keep Raikkonen out of our slipstream on the front straight. Ultimately, race leader Felipe Massa retired from the race with engine trouble, moving us up from P3 to P2. Mechanical failures are part of racing, and with our pace every bit on par with the top two cars, I think our result was one earned based on our true strength as a racing team.
This weekend marked our second podium in four races of the second half of the European round. There is no doubt that this result has generated even more excitement among the team, and our goal is to reach one position higher on the podium (a win!) before the final race of the season. Please keep cheering us on!

Noritoshi Arai at the Hungaroring. Panasonic Toyota Racing captures their second podium finish of the season! The team also recorded a double–points finish this weekend. After the summer break, Panasonic Toyota Racing will be bringing the momentum, looking for a victory at the European GP!