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Panasonic Toyota Racing
Paul Ricard Test Round-Up
Dates: 13-14 April 2005
Drivers: Ricardo Zonta (13-14), Olivier Panis (13-14) Track Length: 3.818km
Olivier Panis – Chassis TF105/03
Best lap time: 1m03.312s
Total laps: 283
Total distance: 1080.5km
- Olivier, how has the test gone for you?
We had a very good test, putting in a huge amount of laps over the two days. I feel good with the car and it still looks really competitive. I did some work on set-up and dampers and we tried out some different levels of downforce but most of my time was spent working on Michelin tyres for next week's San Marino Grand Prix. Imola is a circuit that is hard for graining, especially when the track is still dirty. Paul Ricard has a similar track surface and the harder tyres we've tried this week seem to work well.
- How do you rate Toyota's prospects for Imola?
So far our results have been incredible, especially in the hot races, and I hope that we can continue that kind of form. On paper, the first two races in Europe could be a bit more difficult for us but we've done some work here to prepare for the cooler conditions in Imola, so let's hope things go well. What we have already achieved is fantastic. Now we need to keep concentrated and keep pushing.
Ricardo Zonta – Chassis TF105/06
Best lap time: 1m03.567s
Total laps: 278
Total distance: 1061.4km
- Ricardo, what were you working on here?
We put in over 1000km of work, mainly on set-up and tyres. We finished a day early because rain was forecast for Friday and we didn't want to waste any of our allocated test days. This was my first time running here in the TF105 and on the first morning I struggled to find a balance but we learned a lot during the course of the first day. That enabled us to find a better set-up on Thursday, when we put in a mammoth day's work.
- In the past, Toyota has struggled over Imola's kerbs. How do you think things are looking for next week's San Marino Grand Prix?
It's true that Imola has always been a track where we've been very weak in the past but I think we have improved in that area as well. Olivier and I have done some work on dampers here which should help, but you can never truly simulate Imola's unique kerbs. So, while I'm sure the car will be a lot better than it used to be, we still have some work to do and we will only really find out how far we've come on Friday or Saturday at the race.