Burti upbeat on his return to the A1-Ring

Burti, who only joined the French team from Jaguar last month, says he is happy with the progress the ailing Prost team has made, which includes introducing some new modifications in Valencia last week.

The Brazilian again headed veteran team mate Jean Alesi, lapping a tenth of a second faster in practice on the first day in Austria, to sit one place ahead of Alesi in 17th place.

"Last week's test has been very important for the team," said Burti, who finished his first race for Prost in 11th place a fortnight ago. "It was very productive and I am getting more familiar with the team. I have worked a lot on my car's set-up."

The Brazilian's confidence is also riding high because he has raced at the A1-Ring before. He made his surprise Formula 1 debut for Jaguar a year ago, replacing regular Eddie Irvine, who withdrew from the race because of stomach pains. Burti finished 11th on his first outing.

"The Austrian Grand Prix will be for sure special to me since this is where last year I ran in my first F1 race," he said. "It was a good, memorable experience, although it was somewhat hasty. It was so unexpected that my helmet was not even ready!

"The A1-Ring is a fast, low grip track where it is difficult to find the limit even in qualifying. Even though, I have only raced here once, it was enough for me to learn the circuit and after a good test with the team in Valencia last week, I feel confident and ready."