Two points not enough to come closer to 4th place for Toyota
It was a difficult race for Toyota at Shanghai. Jarno Trulli, who started from 7th on the grid was hit by Sebastien Bourdais and was forced to retire the race. Team mate Timo Glock only started from 12th position on the grid but had a heavy fuel load and by only pitting once, he finished 7th in China. The two points scored by Glock were however not enough to approach Renault in the championship. It has become mathematically impossible for Toyota to overtake Renault in the standings.
Timo Glock (Car 12, Chassis TF108-07)
Summary: Starting 12th, he was fuelled the heaviest of all the field. He got away well but dropped back a couple of places in the early laps due to his fuel load. After that he made up ground and was running 7th when he made his only stop on lap 32. He regained the position soon after and held the place to the flag.
Race Classification: 7th (+41.722s)
Qualifying Classification: 13th Lap Time: 1m 35.937s (+0.990s in Q2) Grid: 12th
"That was the most that we could have got out of today so we should be satisfied. We struggled a bit to warm up the tyres at the beginning but from then on the car felt good and we had very good pace. At the end of the first stint I had a light car but I couldn't make the most of it because I was stuck behind Nick Heidfeld when he came out of his first stop. So we lost some time there and maybe lost a place to Robert Kubica but we were quick again at the end. The strategy worked well so thanks to all the guys."
Jarno Trulli (Car 11, Chassis TF108-05)
Summary: From 7th on the grid, he made a solid start and kept his place into the first corner when he was hit by Sébastien Bourdais in the Toro Rosso. He went off into the gravel and was forced to pit. He attempted to rejoin the race but the damage to the right side of his car's bodywork made it undriveable.
Race Classification: DNF
Qualifying Classification: 9th Lap Time: 1m 37.934s (+1.631s in Q3) Grid: 7th
"Away from the line I was side-by-side with Sebastian Vettel but I had to give up on him because he had the inside line. Then Sébastien Bourdais suddenly hit the right side of my car at the rear and damaged it. It is frustrating because he did this once before this year at Spa, where he also ruined my race at the first corner. Today I couldn't carry on which is a pity because we had a very good chance of more points. Still, there is one more race to go and we will push to the end to try and finish the season on a high in Brazil."
Tadashi Yamashina, Team Principal: "Today got off to the worst of starts when Jarno was put out of the race by another car. His motivation was very high today and he could certainly have made the top six. But instead he suffered damage to the whole of the right side of his car, including the bodywork and aerodynamic parts so it was undriveable. Timo did a great job, especially considering how practice and qualifying had gone for him. He drove well and the one-stop strategy was the right one. So now both drivers should now be very focused on the last race in Brazil. Of course we will never give up and try to come away with the best possible result."
What's Next?
The Panasonic Toyota Racing team will now return to base in Cologne, Germany to make preparations for the final race of the season. The Brazilian Grand Prix will take place at Interlagos in São Paulo on November 2, exactly two weeks from now.
