Toyota discloses unprecedented details of F1 development

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Toyota discloses unprecedented details of F1 development

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The new system should provide some fascinating action in the course of the season, and every team and driver will be under pressure not to make mistakes.

“I think it will be pretty exciting,” says Mike Gascoyne. “We’ve got the first two sessions where we have to go out and do a time, and in the third we’re going to want to be out lapping because we want to bring the fuel level down. And then with two minutes to go, everyone’s going to be diving into the pits for quick tyre changes.

I think it will be pretty hectic! It’s always difficult to know how these things are going to pan out. There will be cars on the track all the time, so that’s something for the fans to watch. One lap qualifying wasn’t particularly bad if you watched it on TV, but it was pretty quiet at the track. Now it will certainly build to something.”

Inevitably the new format puts a premium on being organised, especially when the final decision on race fuel loads is taken between the second and third sessions.

“When we complete the second session we’ve got to get the cars in and refuel them. As we go out for the last session we have to have what is effectively the race fuel load. There’s going to be quite a bit of action, because it will be important to be the first car out to complete the maximum number of laps and get the fuel level down.”

Tough at the Top

Although it’s not a rule change as such, Panasonic Toyota Racing faces a new situation in 2006 as it has lost the benefit of running a third driver on the Friday of race weekends.

The team first had the option to run a Friday driver back in 2003, when competitors were allowed to ‘trade’ that extra running against fewer test days between races. At the time the team preferred to focus on regular testing, but a change of rules for 2004 meant that any team finishing outside the top four in the constructors’ championship could run a third car on Fridays. Thus over the past two seasons Ricardo Zonta and Olivier Panis have been able to make a major contribution to the outcome of race weekends, especially in terms of tyre testing.

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