Friday: Kobayashi impresses for Toyota once again
Still in search of good results this season, Toyota will once again have to do without Timo Glock for this weekend's race in Abu Dhabi. The German has not yet fully recovered from his crash in Japan and may never race for Toyota again. He is reportedly very close to an agreement with Renault. For now, Kamui Kobayashi is replacing him. The Japanese driver can hold his head high as he recorded the 5th fastest time in qualifying and race conditions. He wants to impress Toyota because a race seat is at stake for 2010.
The Japanese driver is currently Jarno Trulli’s teammate, but the Italian is also expected to leave. He has not been able to achieve a good result in the initial tests and is beyond the top 10. Improvement is expected!
Jarno Trulli – 10th and 14th:
« I must say that it was an enjoyable day for me and it was interesting to drive on this new track for the first time. The circuit is very fun and I am looking forward to racing here. They did a great job with the facilities and the track is really well built, so I am impressed. The first laps were difficult, as there was simply no grip, but that is normal for a new circuit like this and the situation improved over the day. Driving at twilight was a new experience for me and the view changes a bit, with some shadows, but it’s similar to Singapore so it’s not an issue. Overall, the car seems competitive and well-balanced. »
Kamui Kobayashi – 19th and 5th:
Today went well and it was interesting to drive on this track for the first time, it’s a fantastic place. It’s the second time in two weeks that I’ve had to learn a new circuit, so it’s becoming a familiar experience. I’ve learned a lot from the weekend in Brazil, which has already helped me here in Abu Dhabi. It will also be useful to have a completely dry weekend so I can really get familiar with the car and the tires on this track, which didn’t happen in Brazil, but I’m confident it will this weekend! We have a large amount of data from today which will allow us to find areas for improvement. I believe we can make another step in terms of performance before qualifying and then I’ll do my best to start as high up on the grid as possible.
Dieter Gass – Chief Engineer in Racing:
« First of all, congratulations to the organizers who have created an truly extraordinary and exciting facility here at Yas Marina. It is a pleasure to see the cars running on this track. For us, it was really a trouble-free day during which we focused first on obtaining all the necessary information about the new track and allowing the drivers to get accustomed to it. Everything went well and we also did some aerodynamic comparisons, mainly in the first session. During the evening session we focused more on the tires and the results were largely positive. As we expected, both compounds seem to be in a viable range. In terms of performance, as usual, it is difficult to evaluate on a Friday, which is particularly true here, with the effect of fuel being more or less pronounced. »
