Toyota Racing secured three more points at today`s action-packed German Grand Prix after Ralf Schumacher took a hard-earned sixth place.
Under overcast skies, Ralf started 12th and drove well all day, benefiting from a good strategy to climb through the field. But it was a dramatic day for Jarno Trulli, who had to pit to replace a damaged front left tyre after a first lap collision.
Jarno rejoined at the back and battled his way up before a late drive-through penalty for a blue flag infringement. A final, unplanned pitstop to refill his engine`s pneumatic fluid led to his eventual retirement on the last lap.
This result consolidates Toyota`s fourth place in the constructors` championship with a total of 57 points.
Ralf Schumacher started with a heavy fuel load and pushed hard all day to take his third straight points finish at today`s German Grand Prix. He moves up to 8th place in the drivers` championship on 26 points.
Ralf Schumacher
"That was an exciting race for the public and a good one for me as well. I said yesterday that we could have a good race today and so it proved. I didn`t make the best of starts and I found myself crowded out, but it is always like that in Hockenheim. From then on our strategy was excellent, including a long stint before the first pit stop. We could even have ended up one or two positions higher. Unfortunately when I came out of the pits after my first stop the tyres took a couple of laps to get my lap times back while I was struggling for grip. But three points is another good result. The team did a great job and we have to be happy with this result."
Jarno Trulli
"That was a very unlucky day for me. At the start the car didn`t pull away well, then at first corner I had a problem with Webber, who was suffering with his gearbox and just pushed me wide onto the very outside of the circuit. I picked up a puncture and found the car difficult to stop into the second and third corners and down the straight. So I had to pit and change the front left tyre. The balance was fine after that, and in fact the car felt very good today, better than it has for a couple of races, and I was able to overtake Sato down the straight. Later on I knew there were blue flags, but they came just as I was overtaking Heidfeld. I let Montoya past immediately afterwards but was given a penalty. Finally I had a problem with the pneumatic pressure in the engine and I was forced to stop. All in all, that was just one of those races when everything happened."
Tsutomu Tomita, Team Principal
"That was a good race from Ralf, and we have to be encouraged by today. But given the race pace we had today we really could have hoped for more. Ralf`s long first stint paid off and got him into a very good position. Unfortunately he lost a couple of places after his first stop, which we were able to get back at the end. Jarno`s race was ruined in the first couple of corners when he got pushed off by a Williams, picked up a puncture on his front left tyre and had to pit. He drove a strong race until he picked up a drive- through penalty. That was unfortunate because he was trying to overtake Heidfeld, which obviously distracted him. Then we had a pneumatic problem on his engine, and he came in to refill it before we finally had to stop the car. It was a shame not to be able to come away with even more but we have to be very encouraged by the pace we showed here today."


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