San Marino GP Preview

By Karl King
April 21 2005

It's been a dream start to 2005, I think you'll all agree, but everyone here seems to be expecting a not-so-good result this weekend after Toyota's previous poor showings on the kerbs at Imola. Don't forget, however, Toyota will be running a modified (yet again) version of the TF105.

You wont be able to stop Jarno Trulli trying for another podium at his home circuit, although he has admitted it is not his favourite track. "Before the start of the 2005 season I never thought
I'd be coming back to Europe in second place in the world championship. But
thanks to a lot of hard work from the whole of the Panasonic Toyota Racing
team that is the fantastic situation we are in. Expectations are obviously
very high now but we have to keep our feet on the ground. Despite the fact
that I'm racing at home, I'm not a particular fan of the Imola circuit. The
most important factors for performance are braking stability and traction,
but the weather will be colder than the last two races and in the past
Toyota has struggled over the kerbs. Still, the TF105 has improved a lot and
with further aerodynamic updates coming for the weekend, we should aim to
score more points. That would be a good result."

I've also heard from a few people that have been placing bets of Ralf this weekend. He's a bit of a master around this track - not forgetting that he took his maiden GP in Imola back in 2001 in the Williams-BMW. "I always enjoy returning to Imola. I took my
first ever F1 win there in 2001 and I have enjoyed success at the track ever
since - both in the races and qualifying. It would be nice to think I can
maintain that record this year with Toyota, even if Imola has not been a
kind circuit to the team in the past. It is one of the most technically
demanding tracks on the calendar, with lots of long straights and slow
corners. That means the brakes take a pounding but our braking performance
was strong in Bahrain so we should be confident. Jarno and the team have
done a magnificent job to score two podiums in a row, but after fifth in
Malaysia and fourth in Bahrain, logic suggests the next podium should be
mine! That's certainly what I'll be aiming for."

Mike Gascoyne is also not looking forward to another factor I mentioned earlier, the kerbs!"Kerb riding is an important
factor at Imola. This has been a weak point for Toyota in the past but with
the progress we have made this year and the improved handling of the TF105,
I don't think it will be such a problem this weekend. Imola's cooler track
temperatures will also make a massive change from the extreme heat we have
faced at the last two rounds in Malaysia and Bahrain. In order to prepare we
spent the last week testing at Paul Ricard to establish just how our
Michelin tyres will behave in those temperatures and to make our final tyre
choice for the race weekend. Overall, I see no reason why Toyota's newfound
success cannot continue and we should aim for more points."

Fingers crossed!