Brazilian GP: Toyota Friday notes

Panasonic Toyota Racing has had a promising start to its Brazilian Grand Prix weekend. At the end of the opening day of practice at Interlagos Allan McNish and Mika Salo were 3rd and 15th fastest respectively. Mika Salo: "The track was very ...

Panasonic Toyota Racing has had a promising start to its Brazilian Grand Prix weekend. At the end of the opening day of practice at Interlagos Allan McNish and Mika Salo were 3rd and 15th fastest respectively.

Mika Salo:

"The track was very dirty off-line, but it was the same for everyone. I opted to stop early in this morning's first session to correct my gear ratios. Additionally, I had a little problem with the clutch. In this afternoon's session the gear ratios were fine, but the clutch problem recurred, which meant I didn't get as much running as I had hoped."

Allan McNish:

"It was a pretty good start to the weekend. The car was quite reasonable at the end of the second session, although I think we still have to make it better for the race. I was just pushing a bit too hard late-on in the second session, which is why I went off the track. This is my first visit to Interlagos and I quite like the circuit. It is a lot tighter and has a lot more elevation changes than it looks on television."

Gustav Brunner - Chief Designer

"Congratulations to Allan and the team. They did a fantastic job, and Allan put in an excellent performance behind the wheel. Mika had a little problem with the clutch, which took time to fix. But there will be another day for him."

Weather: Hot and hazy
Temperatures: Air - Min 28C, Max 32C
Track - Min 37C, Max 45C
Humidity - Min 37%, Max 56%
T-car: Chassis TF102/02 set up for Mika Salo

Mika Salo - Car No. 24
Position: 15th, 1m16.529s, 33 laps completed
Chassis: TF102/04

Allan McNish - Car No. 25
Position: 3rd, 1m15.450s, 46 laps completed
Chassis: TF102/05