Uhr
Panasonic Toyota Racing: Jerez Test Round-Up
Jerez Test Round-Up
Location: Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
Drivers: Olivier Panis and Cristiano da Matta (9th-11th), Ricardo Zonta (12th)
Track Length: 4.428km
Cristiano da Matta
Total Laps: 122
Best Lap Time: 1m18.584s
Chassis: TF103/03 and TF103B
"We had a difficult first two days and we did not get much running done, however the final day was better and more productive, although we did not manage to complete our entire testing programme. We had some small and not too serious problems, but this is what testing is all about. I only drove the new TF103B car on a heavily wet track on Tuesday and on a damp track for most of Wednesday. I actually only had a dozen or so laps in fully dry track conditions, which is not really enough to say a lot about it but I had a good impression nevertheless. We got some constructive work done, especially regarding the control systems and tuning and we completed our tyre test. All in all, it was good to drive the car again after quite a long break."
Olivier Panis
Total Laps: 147
Best Lap Time: 1m18.835s
Chassis: TF103/03 and TF103B
"This week's test at Jerez was my first test session since the Japanese Grand Prix and I was really happy to get back to work, especially because I feel in very good physical shape after a very comprehensive training programme during my holiday in Brittany. It has been a great pleasure to be back with the team again. My overall programme for the week was split into two with the first two days concentrating on tyre testing with the standard TF103 car. On Thursday, I switched to the interim TF103B car. We had very bad weather Tuesday and a few typical testing problems on the other days but we drew some positive results from work on the old car and have seen encouraging signs with the new car. An improvement in performance from a grip point of view will be an essential aspect to work on and I look forward to testing with the entire new TF104 chassis in mid-January to start the new season."
Ricardo Zonta
Total Laps: 104
Best Lap Time: 1m30.503s
Chassis: TF103/03
"Ironically after a week of quite wet conditions, our programme for today revolved purely around an extensive wet weather Michelin tyre test on an artificially-wet track. It was a very promising day and with good reliability, we were able to achieve over one hundred laps. This was the final day of testing in 2003, so we are all going to enjoy a little break over Christmas and New Year before the TF104 car is launched in the middle of January and 2004 preparation really get underway."