“Our target this year is to fight to win the first race for Toyota in Formula One,” Tadashi Yamashina, overlord of Toyota’s Formula 1 team at the launch of the 2009 TF 109 — new wider front wings, narrow rear wing, aero changes and all — earlier this winter.

Posting up two podium finishes and a significant number of top 10 placings in 2008, the Japanese team had made serious headway last season and was optimistic about the 2009 Formula 1 season. Concurred Toyota Racing President John Howett, “After eight years in Formula One we have gained a huge amount of knowledge and improved considerably. There are many elements of our team which are at the very highest level so the challenge now is to fill any gaps and ensure the entire organization is performing at the very top. Then we must put all the elements together and deliver the success we are all fighting so hard for.”

These things spoken, on Wednesday, February 18, 2009, Timo Glock, after the third day of testing on the 3.363-mile, 15-turn, $150 million dollar Bahrain International Circuit, topped the scoring monitors, his name and car number above those of machines sent out by both Ferrari and BMW. After circulating the opulent circuit 132 times, the apogee of Glock’s day came with a lap timed at 1:32.492.

"That was another good day for us," said Glock who was faster than both Scuderia Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and BMW’s Nick Heidfeld. "We didn't have any major problems and we again made it through a lot of work. We concentrated on set-up and went through our program smoothly.

"It has been a bit tricky to drive today because there was a lot of wind, which was also blowing from a different direction to yesterday when Jarno (Trulli) was driving. But in the end I'm happy that we did so much work and it's positive that we found some useful directions to work with."

Massa and his Ferrari experienced technical woes in Bahrain on Wednesday, his car only completing four laps before sputtering to a halt with gearbox issues. The team was able to get the car sorted out and back onto the track, the Brazilian putting in 105 laps, his best lap flashing up at 1:32.917.

Eric Johnson

Today's testing times:
1. Timo Glock - Toyota - 1:32.492 - 132 laps
2. Felipe Massa - Ferrari - 1:32.917 - 105 laps
3. Nick Heidfeld - BMW-Sauber - 1:32.993 - 82 laps