|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(and a few quotes on Spain) Toyota's Spanish GP Preview Ralf is in fifth position with nine points. Click the link to read what he had to say. Toyota expects better Barcelona Mike Gascoyne reckons his team will move back towards the front of the field in this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix (call me a pessimist but I can just see the cameras focusing on Michael Schumacher for every race in future while we sit there waiting for some mention of Ralf...) Toyota to struggle in Spain Toyota are likely to endure another tricky grand prix at Barcelona. That's Ralf's prediction. Ralf said: "On the other hand, Imola is Toyota's least favourite circuit yet both cars drove into the top-eight". Ralf also revealed that Toyota had, like Renault, planned to travel to England to test, until the team saw a weather forecast. Ralf criticises Ferrari over testing Ralf has accused Ferrari of putting their own interests ahead of the future of Formula One by not agreeing to restrict testing during the season. "What Ferrari are doing is unfair to everyone else. We restrict ourselves and Ferrari carry on testing happily. I don't understand this at all. We at Toyota and maybe the other eight teams could also test but we adhere to the rules. We're interested in Formula One carrying on for a long time, while Ferrari are not. That's not the right way" Toyota Abandon Appeal Toyota have dropped their appeal against Ralf's 25-second penalty in the San Marino GP. A Toyota statement read: "The team appealed because it wanted to undertake a detailed analysis of the incident. After an exhaustive review, the team feels the evidence is not conclusive and will not take the matter further" Ralf Risks losing his race point Ralf could lose eighth place in the San Marino GP after race stewards added 25 seconds to his time for a pitstop incident. The penalty would push him out of the points and elevate Nick Heidfeld to eighth place instead. Toyota said that they intended to appeal. Stewards said Toyota had released Ralf from his second pitstop before it was safe to do so, although he praised the team before the penalty was announced: "The eighth place arrived because we had such a perfect pitstop and we were able to catch the Williams in the pits". Toyota's San Marino GP result Ralf finished 8th. He made up for losing ground at the start with a fine drive to pick up a solitary point, finishing a fraction of a second behind Jarno. Ralf: "To finish with both cars in the points here is a good result at this circuit which was always going to be a difficult one for us. I had no real problems other than the odd balance issue on one set of tyres and the guys did a great job for me – especially at the second pitstop. The eighth place arrived because we had such a perfect pitstop and we were able to catch the Williams in the pits. So a big thanks to all the guys and it's great that we can stay in second place in the constructors' championship" Ralf 10th on San Marino Grid Ralf had to put in his run early in the session when the conditions were not at their best. But a tidy lap saw him edge up two places to 10th on the grid. Ralf: "It was another clean lap for me, with no real problems, but the conditions were such that everyone was going to go quicker with each run. But that's the way it is so we have to make the best of it. Looking ahead to this afternoon the race might start off quite boring because it's so difficult to overtake here, but we could have some racing towards the end. One way or another we hope we can come away with more points" Click for more pics at Yahoo Sport 19 April: Ralf before the San Marino GP: "I always enjoy returning to Imola. I took my first ever F1 win there in 2001 and I have enjoyed success at the track ever since - both in the races and qualifying. It would be nice to think I can maintain that record this year with Toyota, even if Imola has not been a kind circuit to the team in the past. It is one of the most technically demanding tracks on the calendar, with lots of long straights and slow corners. That means the brakes take a pounding but our braking performance was strong in Bahrain so we should be confident. Jarno and the team have done a magnificent job to score two podiums in a row, but after fifth in Malaysia and fourth in Bahrain, logic suggests the next podium should be mine! That's certainly what I'll be aiming for" 19 April: Montoya's the man Who's the best McLaren man - Kimi Räikkönen, or Juan Pablo Montoya? Everyone has an opinion; like Ralf, Montoya's ex teammate. Ralf: "I think (Räikkönen) makes too many mistakes". What about Jarno Trulli, who's presently wiping the floor at Toyota with a fair-haired 29-year-old from Germany (me: that's nasty!!) Ralf: "He is an outstanding driver. Is he the best teammate I've ever had - I can't say yet" Ralf rates Michael's chances of returning Ferrari to the very top step of the podium at Imola (me: I was rooting for him) Ralf: "If the car and (Bridgestone) tyres make it, they have a good chance" 18 April: Ralf "annoyed"? Mike Gascoyne denied that podium-getter Jarno Trulli has an edge on Ralf. "In many ways, Ralf's drive in Bahrain was stronger than Jarno's. Ralf is not annoyed ... because he can see the potential. He's not worried" OASIS IN THE DESERT One of the VIPs in attendance was Sheikh Maktoum from Dubai, who the drivers know well because they were all invited to the circuit opening there last year. The Sheikh was chatting with Button and Ralf and said “How many houses have you got now, Jenson, you’re up to about seven aren’t you?” Then he turned to Ralf and said “How many are you on now – is it five, or are you near Jenson’s mark?” Ralf just answered, “I’m closing in on him, I’m nearly there!” From yahoo.com Although Ralf has been beaten by Jarno Trulli in three out of three races, Mike Gascoyne came to his defence. "I think Ralf actually drove a stronger race because he had a much more difficult race" he said of Bahrain. "Jarno's race was easy. Ralf's was very difficult. He made one mistake in qualifying, a small mistake but significant. He got it up to sixth (on the grid) and finished fourth. I think you have to give credit where credit's due. Yes he's behind his team mate, yes his race was more dramatic but he had a much harder race to drive" Article on Bahrain from itv-f1.com Toyota got their best ever F1 result with P2 and P4. Trulli again outshone Ralf and is the clear reference point at the moment in that team. I know Ralf thinks that the British press is always on his back, but it is a fact that he has always been beaten by his team mates, apart from Zanardi in 1999. That said he put in a fantastic recovery drive from 11th on the grid after first qualifying. He light-fuelled for second quali and jumped five cars to line up 6th on the grid. It caught him out at the first stops as he rejoined between the Saubers, but he drove really well to claim fourth at the finish. Perhaps that illustrates best how strong the Toyota is. Both cars finished without problems and I think they will be a thorn in the sides of Renault, McLaren and Ferrari all year. Can they win a race? Well they were very strong last year at Indy with a poor car and they think that they can win there. That would be really something. Ralf Schumacher, Toyota, 4th Race summary at planet-f1.com His mistake in Saturday qualifying meant that the team had to fuel him light to get good grid position and his early pit-stop might have compromised his race more than it did. As it was he made two mistakes in the race but still kept ahead of Mark Webber and Pedro de la Rosa. Given a different toss of the coin, the same drive could have seen him 6th. Ralf Schumacher makes big gains Ralf drove an impeccable lap in second qualifying to leapfrog five cars and put his TF105 in sixth place on the Bahrain grid. In the process, Ralf set the third quickest lap of the session, bettered only by front row incumbents Fernando and Michael. Ralf: "My lap this morning was good, but I can't quite shake the feeling of frustration because of the mistake on my flying lap yesterday. Looking on the positive side, I made up five positions as a result of today's session, which has put me in with a real chance for another good points finish this afternoon with a car that Jarno has shown can challenge for the podium" Ralf has been quoted as saying that his brother's chances of making up lost ground in the championship have been compromised by Ferrari doing "too little, too late". Ralf defended his brother: he said the local media's lambasting of Michael - after another poor showing in the Malaysian GP - was not justified. "As a driver, there's little you can do in that situation. He didn't do anything wrong - Ferrari did". Ralf won't be putting a single cent on Big Brother cruising to a sixth consecutive drivers' title. He said: "Renault is already too far ahead" Ralf: I flew back to Europe after Australia to conduct a short test at Jerez working especially towards the Bahrain Grand Prix. We found a good set-up and some competitive Michelin tyres for the weekend. This combined with the speed and performance of the TF105s in Malaysia at the last race leaves me encouraged for Bahrain. It was fantastic to see a Toyota on the podium in Malaysia after an excellent weekend for the whole team. I was also pleased with my fifth place considering all the dramas I encountered over the weekend. In fact, such was the speed of the TF105 that without my problems, I would have had the pace to join Jarno on the podium. Of course it is natural that we have our sights set a bit higher after such a result and I think the car could be well suited to the Bahrain International Circuit. As a minimum, I think we should be looking to add more points in Sakhir this weekend to our already impressive tally of twelve (and they did) Ralf: It's an interesting race. If the sand from the desert lands on the racing line, you can spin pretty easily, and (the sand) can overheat the engine. |
|
|
|
Other Sponsors electrical connectors, Mangosteen Juice, real estate short sale, Jupiter FL real estate, |
Furniture Markdown Great Deals on furniture - Free Shipping! |
Y-Net Wireless Internet Denver area high speed wireless privider. |
|
|
Dog House Technologies Doghouse Techonologies is located in Tampa Bay FL and offer professional web design, ecommerce development and custom application design for the internet. |
|||