Da Matta Blames Heat for Poor Showing

Brazilian Cristiano da Matta blamed the heat at today's French Grand Prix for Toyota's disappointing performance.

Da Matta, who had finished quickest in Friday's practice, endured a tough race at Magny-Cours, going on to finish in 14th position over a lap down. The Toyota driver said the temperature of over 45 degrees on track had hurt his chances.

"I think the hot weather was detrimental to us in today's race, particularly in the way our car was set up," said da Mata. "The situation was the same for everyone, but it is apparent from the final results that we suffered a lot more.

"I cannot really pinpoint a specific reason, but the car was simply a lot slower compared to what we showed it could do on Friday and Saturday. The only thing that has been different today is the temperature, but we have to look deeply into the data to see what caused such a big drop off in performance."

Frenchman Olivier Panis also endured a disappointing day and finished behind da Matta two laps down.

"I had a problem at the very start of the race when the clutch got stuck and the antistall was activated, which is why I lost all the places," said Panis. "That was very painful for me and I am sure also for the team. There was one main problem today, namely that we were not quick enough to fight with the cars in front of us.

"However disappointing today's results are for everyone at Toyota, we must immediately look ahead to Silverstone to keep concentrated, motivated and continue to do our best."