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Panasonic Toyota Racing: Grand Prix of San Marino - Free Practice Round-Up
Grand Prix of San Marino - Free Practice Round-Up
"I think for us it was good opening day on which we managed to work all the way through a full programme. We tried different set-up solutions during both sessions and found a strong car balance. This afternoon we will have to compare the data in order to make our tyre selection for the race. Definitely we are heading in the right direction."
Cristiano da Matta (Car 16, Chassis TF104/04) First Session Classification: 18th, 12 laps completed Lap Time: 1m24.752s (+4.668s) Second Session Classification: 14th, 23 laps completed Lap Time: 1m22.780s (+1.814s)
"I had a difficult first session but the second free practice went much better. Many of the new developments we brought to Imola have made the car easier to balance. We have a new front and rear wing as well as some other smaller aerodynamic modifications for this high-downforce track. There also has been some weight saving in association with a lower centre of gravity. Nevertheless, we will keep working hard to find some more speed."
Ricardo Zonta (Car 38, Chassis TF104/06) First Session Classification: 10th, 20 laps completed Lap Time: 1m23.161s (+3.077s) Second Session Classification: 19th, 20 laps completed Lap Time: 1m23.500s (+2.534s)
"Generally it was a productive day. We were able to gather some valuable data for our tyre evaluation. The track was changing this morning but it had cleaned up by the second session, when conditions were more stable. Unfortunately my second session finished earlier because of a transmission problem. I felt the rear of the car lock up which caused me to stop. That was the end of my day’s activity."
Mike Gascoyne - Technical Director Chassis "That was a useful and encouraging start of the European season. We have struggled here in the past because a quick lap time means that you have to use the kerbs, which has previously been a problem for us. However, today the TF104 handled that better and the balance of the car was reasonable. During both sessions we worked on evaluating the two tyres. Actually both compounds are quite close here, so we will have to look deeper into the data this afternoon. Ricardo was forced to stop with what we suspect is a gearbox problem but we will have to further investigate that. Overall, a bit better than we expected - a good, solid day."