3:11 PM
**Great effort from the Team, but still personally disappointed. The two podiums from Malaysia and Bahrain really made some difference in people's and fans' expectations. I wasn't really expecting a podium for Imola, but I was quietly hoping that we could genuinely fight for one, or probably even a fourth or fifth. But the pace clearly wasn't there beginning in Friday, at least from the way I saw it. What was disheartening was that the time difference were considerable and not just marginal. The positive thing is that we actually scored points when we usually perform really bad in Imola. Special praises for the team for bringing the cars into the points even if there were other faster cars who ended up behind us.
**Disappointed at the Ralf/Nick incident. This is not the first time for Toyota actually. In our debut year we also got involved in a similar incident in Hungary, that time between Mika Salo and Jaguar's Pedro dela Rosa. We were also handed a penalty then.
**I am now officially a Jarno Trulli convert. Really, I cannot imagine Toyota without him and Ralf leading the team instead. Some may say that he was back to his old tricks again in Imola, but I just look at the overall performance of the team - the cars were really not up to the track. Besides he beat Ralf, who has been generally always good in Imola. Jarno gained a place at the start, and Ralf lost I think two or three. Thank you, Mr. Trulli!
**Ralf Schumacher seems to be struggling, not just underperforming. This conclusion comes from the fact that even in pre-season/winter testing, Ralf has already had lots of 'off-track' moments. He should catch up real soon. He could do that by testing a lot more and really just digging a little deeper. But how can he test when he seems more occupied with publicity efforts - he's in Turkey right now for Toyota. I'm beginning to wonder what Ricardo or Olivier could do in the race with the TF105. Podium opportunities have closed - temporarily I hope! - for Toyota, and Ralf clearly missed them before in Bahrain and Malaysia because of mistakes.
**Pardon me for doubting, but I have to ask, did we really have a significant upgrade in Imola? The Imola upgrade was heralded as the second major overhaul of the TF105 with a new diffuser, sidepods, front and rear wings, and some suspension elements. I was quietly expecting a significant gain (well we did score in Imola this year, that's significant) that could, at least, keep up with and cover the expected gains of BAR, Ferrari, and Williams. I must admit I am worried with the extent of our being off the pace - Narain K's best race lap time was just hundredths behind Jarno's! Indeed, people's expectations are raised big time after the podiums and Mike Gascoyne's 'confidence talks' and of course Mr. Takahashi's statement that the team is working not just double but triple the effort (or something to that effect).
**I'm guessing that Imola could have been a little better still - it could have been the tires (there were 5 to choose from, so we probably got a little lost) or the efficacy of the upgrades. Maybe even some sort of destabilisation hurt the team a bit: towards the build up to the grand prix weekend, it was reported in some F1 sites that Mike Gascoyne is wanted at Williams. In F1 Racing Magazine Mike Gascoyne was quoted as saying he's contemplating a move back to Britain. Could have this 'development' harmed the team?
**I'm looking forward to Barcelona really. We're having improved engines, and I hope, perhaps even more, that there'd be some improvements on the chassis or aero side. We have to work hard to regain the lost competitiveness - if it entails breaking the gentleman's agreement, I don't know... There are now three to six teams closely matched for podiums and points in Barcelona. It should be tight. A word of caution, though, to Toyota and its fans. Though we did quite well previoulsy in Spain, the track is also more of a BAR-track, like Imola. But let's all hope, and of course, work for the best!
**Finally, some trivial observations from Imola:
-In the early part of the race, we had a German train: Heidfield 11th, Ralf Schumacher 12th, and Michael Schumacher 13th. In the end of course, the train was broken and reversed, until of course, the 25 second penalty imposed on Ralf.
-Bahrain, Massa in Sauber-Petronas (Ferrari) passed Reubens Barrichello in Ferrari. San Marino, Massa suffers an engine change and a ten grid spot demotion. Red Bull dumps Cosworths for Ferraris in 2006, and they perform rather badly throughout the weekend. Find the links around here, but don't take them seriously, I'm just being overly cynical!
-Did Minardi really use their new car?
Cheers to all, and till the next grand prix!
