Formula One news

Trulli's storming lap puts Toyota fourth

A storming lap from Jarno Trulli in qualifying put his Toyota in fourth place for tomorrow's German rand Prix at Hockenheim while team mate Timo Glock ended up eleventh on the grid for his home race.

"It was a very good performance so I am really happy," Trulli said. "The car handled very well and we made many small changes through the session to get closer and closer to the perfect balance. At the very end of Q3 I put in a very strong lap to give me fourth position, which was very satisfying. I am particularly happy for the team because they are working hard at the track and at the factory so it is a pleasure for me to show such a good performance. We have a good chance tomorrow now, even if it will be difficult to battle with Ferrari and McLaren. We will do our best and we know we are competitive so I am confident we can have a good result again. Clearly the goal is to score plenty of points and fight for the best possible finish."

Timo Glock added, "Up until the last lap it was not a bad qualifying because we easily made it through Q1 and we were looking pretty strong in Q2, with a good chance of getting into the top 10. But we couldn't improve on the last run when it was really important. I don't know how many times I have just missed out on Q3 by the tiniest of margins and it has happened again. It is extremely disappointing but of course I will fight as hard as possible in the race and we'll see what is possible."

Pascal Vasselon, Senior General Manager Chassis added, "We are very happy with this result, which is in line with a very good test session we had here last week. We were busy in preparation for qualifying because the grip conditions changed massively compared to the test and we had to adjust our set-ups to reflect this. We were a little bit cautious before qualifying because of the disappointment we felt at Silverstone when we were not where we expected despite a very strong test. This time we got it right and thanks to a great lap from Jarno we are in a very good shape for tomorrow's race. Unfortunately Timo missed out on the top 10 when there was no doubt he had the potential to be there. He just lost a little time on the second sector of his last lap but at least he can decide his fuel strategy for tomorrow's race and that will help, especially if there is a risk of rain."

more news

• 30 Aug.
  • BMW boss wants both cars in the points
  • Aero updates for McLaren at Spa
  • Heidfeld in determined mood for Spa
• 29 Aug.
  • Hamilton finishes test on top
  • Another accolade for Frank Williams
  • Hamilton relishing Spa challenge
  • Photos: Friday in Monza
  • Former champion Phil Hill passes away
  • Alonso happy with first day at wheel
  • Rosberg hopeful of upward trend
• 28 Aug.
  • Heidfeld on top at Monza
  • Photos: Thursday in Monza
  • Raikkonen to play support role to Massa if needed
  • Renault happy with first day, despite position
  • Weather key to title - Whitmarsh
• 27 Aug.
  • Massa sets pace on first day at Monza
  • Hamilton almost didn't race, confirms Whitmarsh
  • Hamilton 'playing the long game'
  • Photos: Wednesday in Monza
  • Sauber still involved at BMW
  • Toro Rosso to trial Buemi for 09 drive
• 26 Aug.
  • Raikkonen engine problem same as Massa's
  • Trulli confident Toyota can keep fourth
  • Don't write off Raikkonen warns Dennis
  • Ferrari boss takes penalty on chin
• 25 Aug.
  • Ferrari boss defends pit stop actions
  • Alonso feels for Spanish fans
  • Sutil didn't see Massa coming
• 24 Aug.
  • Ferrari celebrates win, but concerns over engines
  • McLaren savours solid performance
  • BMW celebrates return to podium
  • Force India looks for the positives
  • Vettel takes another three points for Toro Rosso
  • Williams back in the points
  • Toyota moves ten points clear in fourth
  • Weekend to forget for Renault
  • Another pointless day for Honda
  • Massa escapes with reprimand
  • Disasterous day for Red Bull
  • Massa delighted, blames Sutil for pit drama

Homepage