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13.10.2008

16 DOWN, TWO TO GO

Panasonic Toyota Racing is back in action almost immediately after the Japanese Grand Prix, with a relatively short journey across the East China Sea to the Shanghai International Circuit for the penultimate race of the season. The modern 5.451km circuit in an outlying suburb of Shanghai has hosted the Chinese Grand Prix since 2004 and features a combination of long straights and tight corners, including a uniquely twisty first-corner complex and the demanding Turn 13. Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock will use the same specification TF108s they raced at Fuji Speedway, utilising the upgraded baseline aerodynamic package but with the medium and hard Bridgestone Potenza tyres. After taking four points from the Japanese Grand Prix thanks to Jarno’s fifth place, the team is determined to fight in the top six again in Shanghai as the end of the season approaches.

Jarno Trulli (Car 11)

“Shanghai is an interesting circuit and it is pretty challenging to find the best set-up because there are a lot of very slow corners but also two long, high-speed straights. Then there is Turn 13, which is key to a good lap time because if you lose speed there you suffer throughout the long straight. I have never enjoyed a lot of luck in China but I do enjoy racing there and I hope this year will finally see me score my first points at the track. We have been pushing really hard all season and we are still very motivated to finish the year on a high in these last two races. In the end we had to be happy with fifth place in Fuji but I was hoping for a little more in front of our home fans. The lower temperatures didn’t really suit our car in Japan but it should be a bit warmer in China, which will be better for us. I am fired up to get a good result this weekend.”

Timo Glock (Car 12)

“This is one of the few circuits I raced a Formula 1 car on before this season and it is good to have that experience behind me for this weekend. The facility is amazing; it is so huge and modern, but the track itself is also a bit tricky because you have the unusual first corner and a few other challenging spots. It is amazing to think my first season with Toyota is almost at an end; I have been pleased with my performances and it is satisfying to have met my targets for the year. Our car is competitive and I believe I can score points in every race so that is my first target for this weekend, and after that we will push to finish as high as possible. I was expecting better in Japan, obviously, and I thought I was in decent shape to finish in the points before I had to retire. It’s good that we race again so soon after because I can forget what happened at Fuji and focus on returning to the points in Shanghai.”

Pascal Vasselon – Senior General Manager Chassis

“Shanghai has a very unusual lay-out and that gives us various challenges on the set-up front. Even though you have the two straights and you want good top speed, the track is still relatively high downforce and that is because of Turns 1 and 13. You need good balance through the very long right-hander of Turn 13 so you can take the speed on to the straight. This corner is also crucial to overtaking because if you can follow another car closely, you have a chance to pass into Turn 14. We have the hardest compounds of Bridgestone tyres this weekend and that makes sense because in the past we have seen graining issues with softer tyres in China. We used the same specifications last year and they behaved reasonably well. In terms of other parameters such as the brakes and the engine, Shanghai is not particularly demanding. We will again use some of the upgrades we introduced in Fuji and I am confident we can be competitive.”