SPARKY: Sepang Report
Are We Getting Warmer?

If like me couldn’t help but feel a little bit disappointed by Bahrain, the views on the TotallyToyotaF1 message board seemed to be a place filled with misery. If anything, the hope of at lest one TF106 in the points looked like an uphill struggle, with Ferrari, Renault, Honda, McLaren and Williams looking so strong. But even with a bit of luck, Toyota’s Ralf Schumacher managed to score a single point after battling his way through the field. So, are we getting warmer to our tyre problem?

Signs coming from Toyota suggest we are. Both Ralf and Jarno made it through into the second phase of the knockout qualifying session, improving upon the session held in Bahrain. Although Jarno didn’t make it through into the final ten, he only finished two tenths behind his teammate Ralf would did make it through, but would fail to take part after a blown engine. So, one step forward, two steps back. Toyota seemed to have better pace, I mean, they weren’t up there with the Midland’s anymore, but Ralf’s blown engine (the first for the Panasonic Toyota Racing team for well over a year) forced the German onto the back row of the grid, and promoted teammate Jarno after some of the other frontrunners took engine changes up to ninth on the grid. But, on paper, Toyota had moved forward, we were closer to the front of the grid then we were one week ago, which in my view is a positive improvement.

In sweltering heat, Toyota took on the worlds finest come Sunday afternoon. Although both drivers struggled with their own personal problems; Jarno’s diffuser was damaged by one of the Toro Rosso’s into the second corner, whilst Ralf suffered with a pneumatic problem, both cars finished the race, Ralf still on the lead lap, with both cars within the top ten. What impressed me even more was the fact Ralf’s strategy was changed from a two stopper, to a three stopper, so the team could top up the pneumatic system. On a light fuel load, Ralf set the sixth fastest time, under a second behind the fastest lap, whereas in Bahrain the fastest time by a Toyota TF106 was closer to two seconds behind the fastest lap. There, another area of time chipped away but a better performing TF106.

But, was all this because the team have made steps forward. No, during the 4 days of ‘rest’ the team were traveling to Malaysia, any modifications would be small, although Mike Gascoyne was working hard during the week at the factory to solve the tyre issue. It seems the solution is this. It’s not the tyres on their own, it’s a combination of the car not using the tyres aggressively enough, and track temperature was also a problem. In Malaysia it was warmer than in Bahrain, hence the reason why the tyres worked better.

So, are we getting warmer? Its hard to tell, Malaysia could had given false readings, one moment we’re miles off the pace, the next we are just ahead of the midfield. To me, Australia will give us the true answer, Toyota has two weeks to solve at lest part of the problem, and in Australia we need to clearly demonstrate throughout the weekend we have got on top of this issue if we are to fight for podiums and victories later on.