Andersson plays down expectations

"After such a tremendous result in Australia, we must not expect too much from this race in Malaysia," he said. "Everyone in the team did a great job in Melbourne, but we must not put too much pressure on ourselves. This is only our second race. Allan was very unlucky to be taken out at the first corner last time and my main aim at Sepang is to get both cars to the finish. That would be progress and it would help in our evolution as a team."

Last year Toyota tested at Sepang, so the team goes into the race with an idea of what to expect. The heat and humidity makes it one of the toughest races of the year, but McNish is confident that he can overcome the conditions to score his first F1 finish.

"At Sepang I hope to get a proper weekend's running under my belt - a full qualifying session and a race distance," he said. "As for the heat, I know it will be hard but I think I've experienced similar conditions in sportscars. In those enclosed cockpits it can get very hot sometimes, so I'm sure I'll cope this time around."