 Cristiano
da Matta - Car Number 16
"I am certainly happy to be going to Australia to begin my second season as
a Toyota F1 driver. The weather has got to be better than the cold, wet and
even snowy conditions we have seen in Europe in recent weeks. Even though we
have had several test sessions since we launched the TF104 in January, the
Australian Grand Prix will be the first time that we can measure ourselves
against the other teams.I still believe that it is too early to set goals
or make concrete predictions, but we should be aiming for reliability in the
race and a points finish. Personally, next week's race will mark my one year
anniversary as an F1 driver and over the last twelve months I feel that I
have learned a lot. Entering my second year, experience will be the biggest
difference; knowing the tracks will definitely be advantageous, but I also
believe that I have improved in every area as a driver."
 Olivier
Panis - Car Number 17
"After a hectic schedule of winter testing, in which we have completed
thousands of kilometres in the TF104s, I am really looking forward to going
racing again. Australia is an ideal place to kick off the season, with a
welcoming atmosphere and a challenging track in Albert Park. It is difficult
to know where we stand in comparison to the other teams at this stage.
Testing times are so difficult to read, but next week's race will offer some
indication.
The entire team has worked tremendously hard on our new TF104
car, but we know we have to continue to work hard and continuously improve
all areas throughout the year. Whatever the outcome in Melbourne, I am
determined to start my second season with Toyota is a positive way."
Tsutomu Tomita - Team Principal
"We enter our third season in Formula 1 racing on the back of two solid and
successful learning years at the height of motorsport. Panasonic Toyota
Racing will continue to grow in 2004 and I am very pleased to begin this
exciting season as Team Principal. It is an absolute privilege to be the
guiding force behind such a skilled workforce, and I hope that we can make a
big leap forward this year, to challenge for points at every race, starting
this weekend in Melbourne. Australia will always bring back memories, not
only of our debut race in 2002, but also of our first ever championship
point. We will continue to do all we can to make the worldwide Toyota family
proud of us and to prove that we have the capabilities to be a real F1 force
in the future."
 Mike Gascoyne - Technical Director Chassis
"Our pre-season testing programme has generally gone well and the car has
shown that it is reliable, which is especially important for the first three
overseas races. During testing we have been concentrating on our own
specific programme, but now it will be interesting to get to Australia to
see our true level of competitiveness. For Melbourne, we will have several
new aerodynamic parts, which together represent a reasonable step forward.
Our aims for this race are focussed on reliability and finishing the race. I
am sure we show a level of performance that will get both cars in the
points, as long as we can complete race distance. There are also new
sporting and technical regulations and we will be able to run a third car on
Fridays, which will be a big help to us. Overall, I am confident that the
team will put in a strong all-round performance and it will be an
interesting and enjoyable weekend for all of us at Panasonic Toyota Racing."
Panasonic Toyota Racing in Australia:
* Prior to the Grand Prix weekend, Olivier Panis and Cristiano da Matta will
travel to Sydney on Tuesday for PR activities
* The driving duo has also spent some time in Tokyo to attend a fan and
press event before arriving in Australia
* Olivier Panis has started 10 Australian GPs, 2 in Adelaide and 8 at Albert
Park
* Panis' best result at Albert Park was 5th in 1997
* The 2003 Australian GP was Cristiano da Matta's debut F1 race
* Panasonic Toyota Racing qualified 5th in 2004's event to score its best
qualifying result at that time
* Panasonic Toyota Racing has clocked up 8,962kms, or 2,040 laps in the
TF104s at tests since the TF104 car launch on 17 January
* Panasonic Toyota Racing scored a world championship point in its debut
race at Albert Park in 2002 when Mika Salo crossed the line in 6th
* Toyota Australia is situated in Sydney and employs 4,700 workers
* Toyota has 218 dealerships in Australia and produce 113,614 cars annually
* Biggest selling Toyota car in Australia is the Corolla with 36,128 sold in
2003
* Toyota was the number one in Australia in 2003 with a 21% market share |
