Malaysian GP: Toro Rosso Friday practice notes

In the early stages of the first day of practice our drivers, all new to the delights of the Sepang circuit, seemed to be complaining of a loose rear end. The team has yet to find out if this is down to a technical matter or simply a lack of familiarity with the spicy Malaysian cuisine.

Tonio Liuzzi:

"I am very happy with today's work. This morning we did not do too many laps, just enough to get the hang of the track. Until today, I had only done one day's running last year, as Red Bull Racing's third driver and I like the track. This afternoon, we established quite a good car set-up with which to run in tomorrow's qualifying. The car is responding well. The heat does not bother me too much, but I tell you, it's like getting a sauna free of charge out there today!"

Neel Jani:

"Today was the first time I have driven a Formula 1 car at this track, having raced here in A1. But it still took some getting used to, as you brake much later in the F1 car. I tried the different tyre compounds and I think we have decided on the right one for the race. I am feeling more at home in the car here than I did in Bahrain, because, even without doing too many laps, I think I have got a better understanding of the tyres. My lap time was quite good at the end, so I'm happy with today."

Scott Speed:

"It's my first time here and I like the flowing nature of the track: a bit like Spa was, which means you can experiment with various different lines through the corners and a lot of high speed corners that feed into each other. I now feel I know the track, but I reckon it must be difficult to pass here. I had some problems at the back of the car, but we definitely made progress through the day and I am quite happy with our race pace. I'm not worried about the heat and I'm sure I'm one of the fitter guys in the paddock."

Laurent Mekies (Chief Engineer):

"Today's work focussed on things like tyre evaluation and fuel loads. Fortunately, Neel managed to do a proper tyre comparison and that data will be useful for the two race cars and both race drivers also got to try both types of Michelin tyre. Sunday's conditions should be similar to this afternoon's so I think we have the right data. So far, cooling seems fine, coming from Bahrain which is much tougher on brakes."

Vitantonio Liuzzi
Practice session 1: 16th, best lap 1:40.123, laps completed 8
Practice session 2: 15th, best lap 1:37.590, laps completed 22

Scott Speed
Practice session 1: 13th, best lap 1:39.599, laps completed 14
Practice session 2: 19th, best lap 1:37.926, laps completed 21

Neel Jani
Practice session 1: 11th, best lap 1.38.668, laps completed 21
Practice session 2: 18th, best lap 1:37.831, laps completed 23

-tororosso-