Saturday: Toyota in party trouble!

The Toyotas performed well here at Interlagos, under the hot Brazilian rain. Rookie Kobayashi almost qualified for the Superpole, a performance that deserves recognition for a driver starting in Formula 1.

Jarno Trulli had a very good qualifying session by taking 4th place, just behind Barrichello and all the best. Toyota will be a reference in the rain during tomorrow’s race.

Jarno Trulli – 8th and 4th:

It was a very intense session. In qualifying, the only goal was to keep the car on the track and try to complete a reasonable lap because the conditions were horrible with a lot of aquaplaning. It was extremely difficult, and the most important thing was to stay focused. In Q2 and Q3, it was much better, the car was working well, and I was able to push. It’s good to be on the second row. It would be nice to repeat the podium from Japan, but it will be a tough fight.

Kamui Kobayashi – 20th and 11th:

This was a very difficult session for my first experience in Formula 1. The conditions were truly daunting because lap after lap the situation changed, and there was a lot of aquaplaning. I had never driven on this track before, so in these conditions it wasn’t easy, but the car is pleasant to drive. I made a small mistake during my last lap in Q2 so that I missed the top 10. I’m a bit frustrated, but overall, 11th place for my first Grand Prix in such conditions is a good result. That’s what I expected, so I’m happy. We’ll see how tomorrow’s race goes, it would be nice to score some points and I’ll do my best to achieve that.

Pascal Vasselon – Chassis Manager:

A nearly three-hour qualifying session is quite unique and I have never experienced anything like it before in Formula 1. But the team and the drivers did what was necessary to stay focused in such a chaotic session. In the end, we are happy with the result, although we were aiming for the front row. Both drivers did a very good job in difficult and changing conditions. Jarno [Trulli] showed that he has the potential to score a lot of points tomorrow and we are really happy for Kamui [Kobayashi]. He missed the top 10 by a tiny margin, but an 11th place on the grid for his first F1 qualifying session is a great achievement, especially considering the weather. Now we look forward to tomorrow, and the weather could play a role again, so it should be an interesting race.