Brazilian Grand Prix – Toyota must consolidate its 6th place in the standings

Next weekend, Toyota will arrive at Interlagos at the end of what has been a grueling season. The 2007 Formula One World Championship will close in Brazil, and it will also be Ralf Schumacher’s last appearance in a Grand Prix driving a Toyota team car.

Ralf joined the team in 2005 and finished on the podium 3 times. He has scored 70 points so far and also secured a pole position. He has also contributed to the technical development of the car.

Ralf and Jarno are determined to end the season on a positive note in the suburbs of Sao Paulo. Panasonic Toyota Racing will use the same specification of the TF107 as in China and Japan and will make every effort to achieve a better result than in these two previous meetings.

Ralf Schumacher

« I am reaching the end of my journey with Toyota, after three years of collaboration. It was a very happy and interesting period in my career even though we would have liked to achieve better results. »

« The season has been very difficult for me and the team, but I am truly motivated and hope to achieve a good result at Interlagos to end on a high note. I really enjoy racing at Interlagos, but it’s a demanding circuit. For the drivers, first of all, because it is very bumpy, but also for the car because you need mechanical grip in the tight section, particularly between turns 8 and 11. But there is also a large portion that is flat out, between the last corners and the main straight. »

We will do our best starting from Friday to find the best set-up based on these parameters. After two difficult races in Japan and China, I hope we can bounce back in Brazil.

Jarno Trulli

« I appreciate the challenge of racing at Interlagos and I am therefore eager to compete in this race. It is one of the most difficult tracks in F1 with a harmonious mix of high and low-speed corners. »

« But we also need to consider other factors such as the fact that the track runs counterclockwise, even though I’ve trained well and this won’t be an issue. And then there’s the bumps, of course, which make finding the right setup difficult. The last races have been very tough for me and the team, and I really hope to finish the season with a good result before recharging for 2008. »

« We have the potential to score points, but we must work and not make the slightest mistake. »

Pascal Vasselon – Chief Chassis Officer

« We appreciate Interlagos because in Brazil it feels like there are more fans than anywhere else—they have a true passion for motorsport. The circuit itself is unique because it’s probably the only track where suspension settings are equally important. »

Performance generally comes from aerodynamics and tire management. At Interlagos, it is always about tire wear, but suspension settings are clearly a key factor in overall performance on a track that is inherently very bumpy. It is essential to find a way to keep the wheels grounded, and setup parameters that are secondary elsewhere become crucial in Brazil.

« An interesting point about Sao Paulo is the tire choice. Bridgestone offers us the two softest specifications—just like in Monaco. But in terms of demands, Interlagos is much tougher than Monaco, and one of the challenges will therefore be tire management. We expect the track to be hard on the softest tires. »

According to Toyota F1