Ralf Schumacher has said that no-one is to blame for his failure to perform this year and that 'things just didn't work out'.
Ralf endured a pretty miserable time in 2007, scoring just five points in total - his best finish coming at the Hungarian Grand Prix, when he brought his
Toyota TF107 home in sixth place. It was in qualifying though that Ralf looked especially lacklustre and he was convincingly beaten by his team-mate, Jarno Trulli, who more often than not had the measure of the former Jordan and
Williams man.
Reflecting on what looks likely to be his final year at the pinnacle of the sport Ralf admitted it was a tough season.
"It was a disappointing year for everybody at Panasonic
Toyota Racing because everybody worked extremely hard but the outcome was below our expectations," he stated. "The fight for the last few points was really hard between Red Bull, Williams,
Renault and ourselves.
"Overall, we did not get the results we wanted and as a complete package we were not competitive enough throughout the season. Everybody always gave 100 percent and when the results don't come you push harder still. So all in all, I think we tried our best but it just didn't work out the way we wanted."
Asked what was the reason for the lack of success he added that while a 'combination of several factors' were to blame, the new Bridgestone tyres were particularly troublesome.
"The new Bridgestone tyres were so much different to last year's and I think a lot of teams underestimated the new tyre situation. It took us a while before we fully understood them," he explained. "It was not like driving a
Formula 1 car the way it used to be. With these tyres you needed a completely different style. It was an interesting problem, though it took me a while to adjust to the circumstances.
"First of all, I tried to get the tyre right and the situation right, but it was a lengthy process. Eventually, I was able to adapt my driving to suit the tyre, and the situation improved."
Despite the problems though, Ralf did note that there were some good moments, even if he did only finish in the top eight three times.
"There were some nicer races for me. I would say that Hungary is the one that stands out, because the car was suited to the track and I enjoyed it as well. We were quick. We were a little bit unlucky in the pit stop strategy, and we could probably have finished even higher, than sixth but it was still a decent race," he continued.
"China could have been another good result too, because we were strong there until I spun off...
"All in all, it was a very tough year for me. I can't blame anybody for that. It just didn't work out."
With his three-year spell at
Toyota now over though, was he disappointed not to have achieved more with the Cologne-based outfit?
"It's unfortunate that we've not been as successful as we could be. I have to say though that from a human point of view I really, really enjoyed working here," he summed-up. "And that's a positive feeling that helps offset the lack of results we all hoped for and worked so hard to achieve."
