Boost for Toyota after excellent race in the desert
Toyota can be satisfied after the Bahrain Grand Prix. Jarno Trulli had a strong race and was able to finish in 6th position, taking 3 points back to Cologne. Team mate Timo Glock failed to finish in the points as he became 9th.
Jarno Trulli (Car 11, Chassis TF108-02)
Summary: Strong start and held solid sixth place for most of the race
Race Classification: 6th (+41.314s)
Qualifying Classification: 7th
Lap Time: 1m 33.994s (+0.898s in Q3) Grid: 7th
"I'm delighted with another finish in the top six today - both for myself and for the team who worked very well and did a good job. We finished right behind the top three teams so that is the most we could expect from this weekend. I made a strong start and I was able to gain a couple of places into the first corner. I briefly came under pressure from Nico Rosberg early on but then I started to do my race. The car was well balanced, I knew I was quick and we had a good strategy so I just got my head down. The car's pace was very strong, both cars finished and we looked very competitive. This result gives us a boost for the future. We will now head to the test in Barcelona looking to build on this in preparation for the next race."
Timo Glock (Car 12, Chassis TF108-01)
Summary: Ran as high as third on long first stint but gearbox glitch hampered bid for points
Race Classification: 9th (+1m 09.500s)
Qualifying Classification: 13th
Lap Time: 1m 32.528s (+1.340s in Q2) Grid: 13th
"That was a good race today and overall I was happy with the car. It was a big improvement for my driving style and I also made some small adjustments during the race which helped. The early laps were interesting with all the guys around me crashing into each other. That made it tricky with the oil in the first and middle sectors. We could have made the points but I lost speed when I was chasing Nico Rosberg in the middle of the race. It was quite hard to fend off Fernando Alonso after that but in the end I'm happy to have finished. The car was really good in terms of set-up, now we just have to keep working on improving the rest."
Tadashi Yamashina, Team Principal: "Both our drivers both did an excellent job today. I'm delighted that Jarno took three points and Timo completed the race so strongly. Going into today our main aim was to get away well from the line so it was good to see Jarno gain some places into the first corner. Then he raced hard all afternoon, the pit work was good and the race strategy was perfect on both cars. Timo also did a wonderful job today and he was very fast. Unfortunately we had a minor gearbox problem after his first stop and we were forced to put him on a back-up strategy. It's something we can fix for the next race but it cost him a well-deserved point. Still, we can now be confident heading to Barcelona. Jarno has again finished in the points and Timo will gain confidence from this performance."