Memory Lane : December
By
December 12 2004
MEMORY LANE : DECEMBER
Mika Strikes Back (16/12/02) Dec 16 2002
"I think Da Matta will struggle a bit. When he tested for us in the summer he was driving the same day as Allan (McNish) and he was two seconds slower.
and Paul Ricard is the easiest circuit in the world."
Bitter words from a driver who has failed to find a drive for 2003, despite both Minardi and Jordan still having empty seats.
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Allan to Minardi? (16/12/02) |
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Dec 16 2002
Allan McNish has appeared in a number of UK papers today, and the popular press have jumped on his words looking for juicy copy. The Sport Telegraph have a corker, quoting that the Scot could consider Minardi as an option."At this stage of my career I would be taking a risk joining Minardi," he said. "Going there with the possibility of not moving on up from there is definitely a risk."
One of McNish's big issues with a Minardi drive is that he does not hold a great value in personal sponsorship. Minardi (and Jordan) have stated that their choice on drivers will be a commercial one, and this might leave Allan out in the F1 cold.
"I want to stay in F1 but only if the circumstances are right," he commented to Sport Telegraph. "You can be there simply for the sake of being there even if you're not competitive. But I want to race to win, not because it's fun to drive fast."
It appears that F1 does not have a hold over McNish, and he is considering other options. "I'd prefer to win in another category of racing rather than stay in F1 just for the glamour or whatever," he continued. "I've got some big decisions to make because I've also been testing with Penske - the Ferrari of US motor racing - for the new IRL circuit which will effectively replace CART in 2003."
"It's always been an ambition of mine to race in the Indianapolis 500 in front of half a million spectators," he admits. "I've won Le Mans, I've raced in the Monaco Grand Prix, and the Indy 500 is the last of the great theatres.
"That said, I feel I still have some unfinished business in F1."
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Allan Hurting (16/12/02) |
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Dec 16 2002
It was quite a shock when the announcement came from the Toyota top brass that they were to drop the 2002 lineup of Mika Salo and Allan McNish. The Scotsman feels strongly that he should be out there for the team, and isn't looking forward to the 2003 starter in Melbourne.As the pre-Christmas test season closes, and the Toyota 2003 drivers get their first taste of the team, McNish has been publically hurting over the fact that he isn't out there in that Toyota car any more. Recently Mika Salo lashed out at the team in a furious attack against the team and it's new pilots. Allan is a little more gentle in his words.
"Motor-racing is a risky business on and off the track and I always knew when my contract finished I could be told I was no longer required. But it still came as a surprise," he has been quoted as saying in The Sun.
"I really don't know what Panis can bring to the team. Da Matta is more high-profile because he has just won the CART championship but only time will tell whether he can do it in F1.
"I should be out there testing with the rest of them. It may hit me even harder when the season starts in Australia next March and I am no longer part of it.
"Never having sat in an F1 car would be a lot worse than what's happened to me."
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DC on Allan? (31/12/02) |
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Dec 31 2002
Have Toyota down the right thing in dumping Allan McNish ? Fellow Scot David Coulthard beleives that his countryman would have shown significant improvements in his second season if he had been given the chance to drive.McNish's struggle to qualify was given as the main reason for his services being terminated, but Coulthard points out that unfamiliarity with the circuits would have been a major factor in this. In a second season this handicap wouldn't have existed, giving Allan a better chance on the day.
"I'm disappointed for Allan - I think he did a good, solid job for them. He would have done an even better job next year, when he would have known the circuits," Coulthard has been quoted as saying in the UK newspaper The Mirror. "Allan and Panis would have made a really good combination, but I think Toyota took the view they couldn't get rid of Salo and keep Allan, which is very hard on Allan."
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Briscoe on Toyota (31/12/02) |
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Dec 31 2002
Testing for a Formula 1 team can be an unsung task, but also provides us with an untarnished view on things very much in the public eye. Ryan Briscoe recently met up with the 2003 Toyota driver line-up, and has been quick make known his first impressions."Olivier is very friendly and polite," Briscoe noted. "He is very pleasant and is very easy to get on with. He was also very fast from the word go. He has 125 races behind him and has won one too. Last year he showed his quality frequently doing better than Jacques Villeneuve in qualifying and the races."
"I met da Matta for the first time when he flew over from the US for his first tests last year and he seems friendly too," the Australian added. "I think we will work well together. He showed himself to be very fast in CART and Toyota think he will be as good in F1. He'll learn a lot from Olivier. Once he gets some experience behind him the results will come."
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TESTING: Jerez (13/12/03) |
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Dec 13 2003
The Toyota F1 team, like all other teams, completed their final test session for 2003, at the Jerez cicuit. Present at the circuit was regular drivers Olivier Panis, Cristiano da Matta, and test driver Ricardo Zonta.Dates: 9-12 December 2003
Location: Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
Drivers: Olivier Panis and Cristiano da Matta (9th-11th), Ricardo Zonta (12th)
Track Length: 4.428km
Cristiano da Matta
Total laps: 122
Best Lap Time: 1m18.584s
Chassis: TF103/03 and TF103B
"We had a difficult first two days and we did not get much running done, however the final day was better and more productive, although we did not manage to complete our entire testing programme. We had some small and not too serious problems, but this is what testing is all about. I only drove the new TF103B car on a heavily wet track on Tuesday and on a damp track for most of Wednesday. I actually only had a dozen or so laps in fully dry track conditions, which is not really enough to say a lot about it but I had a good impression nevertheless. We got some constructive work done, especially regarding the control systems and tuning and we completed our tyre test. All in all, it was good to drive the car again after quite a long break."
Olivier Panis
Total laps: 147
Best Lap Time: 1m18.835s
Chassis: TF103/03 and TF103B
"This week's test at Jerez was my first test session since the Japanese
Grand Prix and I was really happy to get back to work, especially because I feel in very good physical shape after a very comprehensive training programme during my holiday in Brittany. It has been a great pleasure to be back with the team again. My overall programme for the week was split into two with the first two days concentrating on tyre testing with the standard TF103 car. On Thursday, I switched to the interim TF103B car. We had very bad weather Tuesday and a few typical testing problems on the other days but we drew some positive results from work on the old car and have seen encouraging signs with the new car. An improvement in performance from a grip point of view will be an essential aspect to work on and I look forward to testing with the entire new TF104 chassis in mid-January to start the new season."Ricardo Zonta
Total laps: 104
Best Lap Time: 1m30.503s
Chassis: TF103/03
"Ironically after a week of quite wet conditions, our programme for today revolved purely around an extensive wet weather Michelin tyre test on an artificially-wet track. It was a very promising day and with good reliability, we were able to achieve over one hundred laps. This was the final day of testing in 2003, so we are all going to enjoy a little break over Christmas and New Year before the TF104 car is launched in the middle of January and 2004 preparation really get underway."
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TF104 Lauched! (12/02) |
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Dec 2003
The Panasonic Toyota Racing team will unveil its 2004 car, the TF104, on Saturday 17 January at its factory in Cologne, Germany. The car launch will be combined with the unique opportunity for media to see behind the scenes of the Toyota Motorsport factory, where Toyota creates its entire F1 car - engine, chassis and gearbox - under one roof.