Driveshaft ill hits McNish

The Scot lost time during the first of two one-hour sessions, but still managed to complete some 46 laps, setting a best time of 1m15.589s, two seconds off the pace.

"We had a difficult first session, " said McNish. "We had a driveshaft problem on the installation lap. The guys did an excellent job to change the rear of the car to enable us to get out quickly. After that we worked on finding consistency in the car, and did a pretty good job towards the end of the session."

Team-mate Mika Salo, also on the way out at Toyota, was also pleased with his and the team's progress during the sessions. The Finn ended the session 12th overall, less than 0.2s faster than McNish.

"We have some new aerodynamic parts which worked quite well," said Salo. "We were working mainly on preparation for Sunday to make a consistent and comfortable car for the race."

Toyota is chasing its first points finish since April in its bid to finish above Minardi in the constructors' championship.