Trulli undecided about TF109 after first test at Portimao
Panasonic Toyota Racing continued to put laps on the new TF109 car at the first test of the year at Algarve Motor Park in Portugal today. Jarno Trulli took over from Kamui Kobayashi for the second day of the test but heavy rain just before the session started restricted his early running and the situation did not improve during the day.
Jarno was planned to gather initial set-up data about the new car but wind and heavy showers, including a hail storm, restricted the running of all teams. Jarno at least used the opportunity to gain some data on the TF109's behaviour in the wet and he finished with 30 laps. Timo Glock takes over the wheel of the TF109 tomorrow when the weather is expected to be better.
Jarno Trulli - Chassis TF109-01
Best Lap Time: 1min 42.399s
Position: 3rd
Total laps: 30
"It is very hard to give my first impressions of the new car because the track conditions today were not very good at all. It was very wet and there was no grip. It is a pity that I could not do more laps but there was little to gain considering the conditions. Hopefully the weather improves for Timo later in the week and we can get a better idea of the characteristics of the new car."
Pascal Vasselon, Senior General Manager Chassis: "Today was all about the weather and we had to fit our running around the showers, which meant we didn't get as much time on track as we would expect. On the positive side, at least we have had quite a bit of experience now with the TF109 in wet conditions and this could be helpful if there is no rain over the rest of pre-season testing. The car ran without any trouble today and we are constantly learning more about it, which is an interesting experience, and I am happy with the progress we have made so far. I hope tomorrow the weather is kinder to us and we can complete more laps."
