MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

Panasonic Toyota Racing started a three-day test programme in the south of France in preparation for the forthcoming Grands Prix in Monte Carlo and Montreal. Monaco and Canada place very different demands on car set-up, with the streets of the Principality requiring good traction allied to a high-downforce aerodynamic package. The variable circuit configurations at Paul Ricard mean that teams can conduct meaningful testing for both venues.Today the emphasis was on Monaco with Timo Glock at the wheel trying out different set-ups and aerodynamic configurations, as well as getting to grips with the Monaco-specification Bridgestone Potenza tyres.

Timo Glock - Chassis TF108-04
Best Lap Time: 1min 06.936s
Position: 8th
Total laps: 93

"The morning session was reasonable and then in the afternoon the track conditions improved quite a lot. It was a normal test day making Monaco preparations with the only problem being some big changes we made over the lunch break which took a bit longer than expected and cost us some track time. It was the first time I have run the car in such high-downforce configuration. I was quite happy with it but we still need to work a little to improve the traction. Overall though, the car felt pretty good."

Gerd Pfeiffer - Test Team Manager

"It was straightforward Monaco work trying to establish a baseline. We did some comparison runs in different aerodynamic specifications, trying different wings. There was also background work to be done with such things as launch systems and, of course, running the softer specification Monaco tyres, which are quite different from the hard and medium compounds which have been raced in Barcelona and Istanbul. While you cannot simulate Monaco grip levels and wind direction, you can prepare for the tight chicanes and hairpins you find there."