Glock doubts Toyota will fight in front
| By Jonathan Noble |
Monday, February 11th 2008, 10:13 GMT |
Timo Glock believes that Toyota have failed to close the gap on the front of the grid with their new car, even though he is convinced it is a step forward over last year's machine.
The TF108 has failed to shine in early pre-season testing, despite the outfit being full of confidence that a design revamp would help them make a step forward.
Glock is sure, however, that the new design philosophy will pay off in the long term - even though he thinks they are going to start the season in the same position they ended last year.
"All the other teams I would say make every year a step as well," Glock said in an interview with Australian media previewing the Melbourne Grand Prix.
"For us, when we compare the 2007 car with the 2008 car, we definitely made a step in the right direction, but on the other side all the other teams made a step forward as well.
"So at the moment maybe (it) looks like we didn't do a step because time wise we are the same like last year in terms of the gap to the top teams. But at the end I think we will see the clear picture... in terms of how much can we develop the car and how much closer we can come to the top teams and make the gap smaller."
Glock believes that the fact the team are still getting to grips with their new car means that there is great scope for development over the course of the year - which he hopes will help them close on the cars ahead of them.
"We have completely changed the concept of, especially the aerodynamics around the car," he said. "I think Formula One is so complex it's difficult to understand it from one to the other day.
"At the moment that's where we try to work as hard as possible to understand the car (as) quickly as possible, and to be competitive in Australia. But I think that ... the main difference may be (what we) can get out of the car over the year, and that's what I'm hoping for."
Despite the gap to the opposition not having changed so, Glock has no doubts the TF108 is an improvement over last year's car.
"There is more stability (in) the braking especially, and that could come down to the longer wheel(base)..but at the end I think we improved everywhere.
Speaking about what teammate Jarno Trulli thinks about the TF108, Glock said: "The same comments like me. He said that the car made a step forward and it's the right direction, but still we have to improve ourselves."
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