German GP: Toyota Saturday notes

After two promising free practice sessions this morning, Panasonic Toyota Racing were affected by changing track conditions in qualifying at Hockenheim. Allan McNish will start from 17th place on the grid for tomorrow's German Grand Prix with team-mate Mika Salo directly behind in 19th.

Allan McNish

"We didn't modify the car very much from this morning's session, but we lost consistency, especially at the end of the lap. That meant that although I gained time in the first two sectors, it was difficult to maintain that level through to the end. The track conditions were different compared to the practice sessions, and we simply could not adapt the car accordingly. I'm slightly disappointed with the starting position but the midfield was very close."

Mika Salo

"That was the most disappointing qualifying session this season. We had a really well-balanced and well-handling car this morning, but the track conditions changed so much over the lunch break we lost balance in the car. We quite simply did not have enough grip and we suffered from understeer. We tried to fix the problem in the session, but we couldn't manage in time."

Norbert Kreyer - General Manager, Engine Department

"We have had no engine difficulties so far this weekend. We know the cause of our Magny-Cours problem was the same on both engines but we are confident that we will not have this problem again. After a difficult qualifying and a string of non-finishes, our aim for tomorrow's race must simply be to complete full distance."

-toyota-