McNish: I'm ready, willing and able

The Scot will become the fourth Britain on the Grand Prix grid next year when he lines up alongside Finland's Mika Salo in the Japanese manufacturer's maiden assault on Formula 1 next year.

"I'm driving better than I've ever driven," he told AUTOSPORT. "I'm quicker and I'm a lot more experienced in testing and developing cars and racing. I'm ready for the crests and troughs which are part and parcel of life. There are an incredible number of ups and downs in F1, as Jenson Button has found. I think I am ready to cope with them."

McNish says recent developments in Toyota's testing programme has helped steer the Japanese marque towards where it needs to be for next year's campaign.

"One area where I think we have worked especially well is in developing the team to function well. That is one of the hardest parts to get right and if we can maintain that during the beginning of the year then we can expect to get reasonable results," he added.

McNish, Salo and Toyota finished a three-day test programme at Suzuka in Japan today.