Toyota Duo Fail to Shine in Qualifying

The Toyota team endured a disappointing qualifying for the German Grand Prix, with Scot Allan McNish finishing down in 17th position while Finn Mika Salo wound up 19th fastest.

"That was the most disappointing qualifying session this season," said Salo. "We had a really well-balanced and well-handling car this morning, but the track conditions changed so much over the lunch break we lost balance in the car. We quite simply did not have enough grip and we suffered from understeer.

"We tried to fix the problem in the session, but we couldn't manage in time."

Scot McNish enjoyed a more positive session, and for the first time this season he managed to outqualify his more experienced teammate. The Toyota driver, who on Friday set a promising ninth fastest time, was also disappointed with his performance.

"We didn't modify the car very much from this morning's session, but we lost consistency, especially at the end of the lap," the Scot said. "The track conditions were different compared to the practice sessions, and we simply could not adapt the car accordingly. I'm slightly disappointed with the starting position but the midfield was very close."