Kobayashi begins Singapore preparations at Jerez

Panasonic Toyota Racing today began its final scheduled test of the 2008 Formula 1 season, kicking off with the first of three days at Jerez. On a hot day in the south of Spain, the team's third driver Kamui Kobayashi was at the helm.

He spent the day focusing on preparations for next week's Singapore Grand Prix, running in a high-downforce configuration while carrying out work on brakes and other systems. He had a trouble-free day of running, completing nearly 100 laps. Kamui will stay at the wheel as the test continues tomorrow.

Kamui Kobayashi - Chassis TF108-04
Best lap time: 1m 20.759s
Position: 5th
Total laps: 94
Total distance: 415.8km
"Today we ran with the level of downforce that we expect to use in Singapore next week. We had no major technical problems and we were able to get through our entire programme without issues. That included work on brakes and other systems and we made some good progress and collected useful data. All in all, a good day's work."

Gerd Pfeiffer, Test Team Manager: "This week is the last chance for teams to test before the four flyaway races that round off the 2008 season. Today we concentrated our efforts on next week's Singapore Grand Prix, running with a high-downforce configuration in preparation for the new night race around the city's streets. Kamui had a trouble-free day, concentrating on set-up for Singapore in the morning before completing work on brakes and software. Tomorrow we will switch our focus to prepare for the other races left on the calendar."