As always, thank you for your support over the weekend. The 2008 F1 World Championship has come to the closing race of the season. The stage for the final race is Sao Paulo, Brazil. We arrived at the Brazilian GP ready to demonstrate the accumulation of our development during the season. Here is my report from the Brazilian GP–the 18th race of the year–winding up a 2008 season in which Panasonic Toyota Racing reached the winners’ podium for the first time in two years.

Recovering from his illness, Jarno qualified P2 for the race. The TF108 featured a package consisting of parts selected from among the most optimal used during the season. In one sense, the team’s result was already decided before leaving for Brazil.

How to use harder tires in cooler weather will be key

We hoped to be in a position to fight for 4th place in the Constructors’ Championship, but that position had already been secured by Renault prior to the Brazilian GP. However, 5th place had yet to be decided, and Drivers’ Championship positions were still up for grabs, giving us plenty of motivation as we arrived in Sao Paulo.

With all of our newer parts battle tested, we brought an aerodynamics package combining parts already used in other races in what we believed would be an optimal configuration for the Brazilian GP.

Our biggest concern regarding this year’s Brazilian GP was the weather. We expected quickly changing conditions and cooler temperatures throughout the weekend, which would make the question of tire usage much more difficult. The tire compounds prepared this year were a soft and medium setup, one level harder than what we had last year. Last year, track surface temperatures reached an excess of a sweltering 50°C, and the super–soft tires wilted under the conditions. With cooler temperatures this year, one key to our race would be how effectively we could get heat into the medium compound.

Reflecting an accumulation of daily practice, there were no major mistakes in the actual pit work during the race. Nevertheless, the team lost on–track position coming out of the pits.

Jarno recovers from illness; a splendid start to the weekend

Our biggest worry going into Friday’s free practice was Jarno’s health. Upon arriving in Brazil, Jarno fell ill with a fever. Normally, our schedule calls for meetings and other activities at the circuit on the Thursday prior to the race, but this time we had Jarno rest at the hotel to concentrate on his recovery. Thanks in part to the efforts of the team doctor, Jarno was able to return to the circuit feeling like his old self.

Our initial settings for the TF108 were optimal for the Interlagos Circuit, and Jarno was able to score P3 on the time charts during the afternoon practice session. The weekend was off to a very good start, dissipating the cloud of worries from the day before.

In contrast, we struggled to find the right setup for the healthy Timo Glock. While the car seemed to perform fine on new tires, the tires lost almost all grip soon after, making braking extremely difficult. Nevertheless, both of our cars experienced a trouble–free Friday, and we were able to complete our planned program. We believed that we would be able to use Friday- data to find an optimal setup for the TF108 on Saturday.

Leading the race at one point before his first pit stop, Jarno came back out onto the course in front of Hamilton. Unfortunately, Jarno was forced off the course during the ensuing battle. Despite accidents and other struggles, Jarno finished the race P8.

Proving Jarno’s speed on the first attack run of Q1; strategy succeeds to win the front row for the first time in three years

While Jarno’s P3 time on the Friday charts showed us that our car was properly dialed in, we had no idea we would secure P2 on the grid in qualifying. But the result was no accident, as we learned when Jarno’s first attack on the harder medium tire compound during Q1 put him at P2 in the period. At that point we decided to save Jarno’s tires, bringing him in for the remainder of Q1.

Our strategy worked, allowing Jarno to make his attack laps during Q2 using the soft tires, which are suited for faster lap times. The effect of the wind on his second attack run left Jarno at P10 in Q2, but we had found some valuable clues. We adopted an aggressive strategy for the race, and this strategy played a role in Jarno ultimately qualifying at P2 on the starting grid. This marked our first return to the front row in three years.

Timo joined Jarno in reaching the final qualifying period, but given the behavior on the car during Saturday morning’s practice (fast on light fuel, but difficult to handle on heavier fuel), and the fact that Sunday’s weather was going to be unpredictable, we decided to go into Q3 with a different strategy for Timo.

Struggling with car balance on heavy fuel, Timo came into the pits early to change to dry tires, successfully moving up in position. By not changing tires during the late-stage rain shower, Timo moved up three positions, but eventually slipped on the wet track to lose two, finally finishing P6.

A missed podium; but both cars winning points in an eventful race builds confidence

With Jarno starting from P2 on the grid, we came to the race looking for the spot at the center of the podium. Jarno got off the grid safely, driving a solid race and defending his position to the first pit stop. After finishing our work in the pits, we were ready to release Jarno back on track; however, our lollipop operator was forced to keep Jarno in the box because Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) had come up in the fast lane.

When Jarno was finally released, he came out in front of Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), but losing one position on track. When Jarno’s car was forced wide in the Turn 1, Hamilton was able overtake, as were Timo and Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso) while Jarno recovered through Turn 2.

Starting the race from P10, Timo came into the pits early as the track began to dry out. Switching to dry tires worked perfectly, and Timo moved up to P8 after the first pit stop. Timo moved up as high as P5, and then drove the last stages of the race at P7 in front of Jarno at P8.

With just 10 laps left in the race the rain started to fall again. After discussions with the drivers over the radio, we ultimately decided to keep them on dry tires through to the checkered flag. I don’t think the strategy itself was in error. If the weather had held for just one more lap, we would have realized an ideal result. Even so, Timo was able to move up one more spot, finishing P6. Jarno finished P8 after trading positions with Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren).

While we would have preferred to wind up the 2008 season on the podium, being able to have both cars finish in the points among the Ferrari and McLaren machines gives a lot of confidence to the team, which I fully believe will follow through to next season.

Next year will be the year that Panasonic Toyota Racing stands shoulder–to–shoulder with the top teams. We will be back in the F1 World Championship, and you can expect great things from us. Thank you all for your support over this past year.