Grapevine: Ricardo does Monterey - Part 2

Hello again from California.

We're ready for our second day of running here at the 33rd Rolex Monterey Historic Races presented by Toyota. It's been a lot of fun so far, with great support from the fans, who seem really interested in learning more about Formula One and the Panasonic Toyota Racing team.

So far, my schedule here has been fun, but kind of hectic! Anyway, it looks like I got a little break to write again, so I thought I'd tell you a little bit more about what my job as third driver and tester for the Panasonic Toyota Racing Formula 1 team is like.

During the season, developing our car is my biggest responsibility (Getting to drive the Toyota TF106 in cool events like this one is an added bonus!).

Usually, I'm the guy who first tries out the new parts during testing, to see what "works". By that, I mean determining the ones that make the car go faster - and the ones that don't...

Also, choosing the right tyre compounds for the upcoming race weekends is a big part of my job, and is just as big a responsibility.

Our partners at Bridgestone are constantly pushing the performance envelope, coming up with new compounds to try and give us an advantage over our rivals.

Because of that, last year I did over 15,000 miles in testing, which was significantly more than my teammates Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher did that season.

This year, we're a little more evenly matched, because I no longer run on the Fridays of Grand Prix weekends.

Most importantly, a good third driver needs to be fully trusted not only by the team, but also by his racing teammates.

Ultimately, it's Jarno and Ralf relying on the parts I've developed and the tires I've helped to choose when they go out to compete on a Sunday afternoon. It's a responsibility and a challenge I enjoy.