Happy Zonta Looking to Strong Race

Brazilian Ricardo Zonta was delighted with his showing at today's qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit.

The Toyota driver, who returned to Grand Prix racing to replace compatriot Cristiano da Matta from the German Grand Prix onwards, posted the 11th quickest time of the day. Zonta was pleased with his performance and is looking to have a strong race tomorrow.

"I am very pleased with my qualifying lap this afternoon," said Zonta. "We have worked very hard in preparation for this race, both at the test session last week and in the free practice sessions.

"The Michelin tyre evaluation work we carried out yesterday was beneficial for qualifying and I think the tyres will be consistent in the race. I would have liked to get into the top ten, but I am satisfied with eleventh - it is a good position from which to start the race and I hope from there we can get a positive result."

Zonta outqualified his French teammate Olivier Panis, who managed the 13th quickest time after struggling with problems on Friday.

"I cannot say that I have enjoyed a trouble-free weekend up to now," said Panis. "After the problems we faced in yesterday's practice sessions, we were forced to change the gearbox on my car just before pre-qualifying today. The team has been working hard to fix the car quickly, but I am still not totally happy with the car.

"Considering all the problems that we have encountered, I think we should be content with 11th and 13th places on the grid, even if I personally expected us to be more competitive at this high-speed track. Now we simply have to be focused on tomorrow's race and hope for our fortunes to change."