Formula One news

Trulli to Toyota's rescue

Jarno Trulli made an early start to his final test of 2005 at Jerez today, flying in to take over where Ralf Schumacher left off yesterday, after his back started hurting. Trulli arrived at lunchtime and put in a packed afternoon's work on the TF106, following on from his first run in the new car last week at Barcelona. Ryan Briscoe continued his return to an F1 cockpit in the other car, completing a full day of work on set-up, weight distribution and tyres. Panasonic Toyota Racing's Ricardo Zonta will take over from Briscoe for the rest of the week.

"I was originally scheduled to start my test here tomorrow, but the change of plan meant we were able to fit in some extra running today," Trulli said. "I only arrived in Jerez at about noon so it was a very busy afternoon for us. Just as last week in Barcelona, the new TF106 felt well balanced and we got through a lot of laps. So it was a very positive day overall. We made it through a lot of set-up comparisons so this has been a useful starting point for the next two days when I will continue to test here."

Technical director Mike Gascoyne commented, "That was a constructive day. Both cars ran very reliably and we only had one small mechanical issue when Ryan stopped with a hydraulic problem. Even so, he completed most of his programme. I have to say that considering Ryan has not driven an F1 car for a year and that this was his first time since his huge shunt in the IRL he's done an excellent job over the two days, both in terms of consistency and speed. So I congratulate him for conducting an excellent two-day test programme at very short notice. Jarno started his programme earlier than we expected, replacing Ralf. He, too, was able to complete his whole day's programme with no worries. He was working with Bridgestone on their reference tyres, looking to get a better balance and he made some useful progress."

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