REVVED UP
With 670km already on his RVX-05 from Australia, Jarno only completed two
installation laps in the first session to conserve his engine for Malaysia.
An electronics problem in the second session further reduced his running,
but the Italian was still able to post the 11th quickest time and a 20-lap
tally.
Jarno Trulli (Car 16, Chassis TF105/03)
First Session Classification: 24th, 2 laps completed
No Lap Time
Second Session Classification: 11th, 18 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m36.841s (+1.233s)
"In this morning's session, I only completed a few laps in order to conserve
my engine based on the fact that I did a lot of mileage in Melbourne. In the
second session, I had some electronic problems, which limited running. When
I was out on track, I encountered traffic, so it is difficult for me to get
a clear indication on performance. Looking at the times set by Ralf and
Ricardo, I am in a positive frame of mind for the rest of the weekend."
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SEPANG KIND
Ralf Schumacher displayed the potential of the TF105s around the Sepang
circuit by setting the fifth fastest time in the second practice session. In
the intense heat, Ralf completed 21 laps working on tyre evaluation and
baseline set-up for the weekend.
Ralf Schumacher (Car 17, Chassis TF105/04)
First Session Classification: 11th, 5 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m37.168s (+3.076s)
Second Session Classification: 5th, 16 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m36.159s (+0.230s)
"I think we had a reasonable first day here in Malaysia. We went through all
that we needed to and we were able to make our tyre choice. I am quite happy
with the car balance, although there are still some areas on which we still
need to work and improve. Generally, I think we are looking quite
competitive this weekend."
ZONTA-RRIFIC
A typical Friday for Ricardo Zonta, as the Brazilian completed the bulk of
work in today's two sessions. Tyre evaluation was again the order of the
day, with Ricardo comparing prime and option Michelin compounds over his 47
laps. Ricardo posted the fastest time of the day with an impressive
1m34.092s in the first session, a time he believes could have been repeated
in the afternoon.
Ricardo Zonta (Car 38, Chassis TF105/02)
First Session Classification: 1st, 17 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m34.092s (quickest)
Second Session Classification: 3rd, 30 laps completed
Lap Time: 1m35.677s (+0.069s)
"I enjoy driving at this track, but it is very demanding, both for the
driver and for the car. We did a good job on the long runs today and were
able to carry out a useful comparison between the two tyre compounds to
assess their performance and consistency. I put a new set of tyres at the
end of the second session, but a yellow flag in the final sector meant I had
to back off. It was a bit of a shame because I could have easily repeated my
time from the morning session."
COMPOUND COMPARISON
Two cars in the top five and two relatively trouble-free practice sessions
has given the Panasonic Toyota Racing team a particularly solid base for the
remainder of the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend and cause to be optimistic.
Mike Gascoyne – Technical Director Chassis
"A productive day with all three cars. Ricardo carried out his usual tyre
evaluation and his feedback makes the tyre choice comparatively
straight-forward this weekend. In general, the balance of the cars and the
consistency over the longer runs looks very promising. Jarno had to stop
before the end of the final session with an electronics-related problem, but
thankfully it was nothing terminal. Overall, the cars are looking pretty
competitive and I think we can be happy with this first day."
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