McNish takes philosophical view

Both McNish and his team-mate Mika Salo will be replaced after the end of this season. British American Racing's Olivier Panis has been confirmed in one car, while the other is likely to be driven by CART Championship Series star Cristiano da Matta.

McNish said: "I am very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to drive for Panasonic Toyota Racing this year. Ove [Andersson, team boss] and his team are an excellent group of people and I am enjoying working with them."

Although the 32-year-old has yet to score a point in his rookie F1 season, he has acquitted himself well so far.

"As for my first year in F1, I think I've done a solid job with strong performances, closely mirroring the efforts of my team-mate Mika Salo, who has been driving in F1 for a few more years than me," said McNish.

"In the long term, I don't have any worries that I won't be continuing at the top level, but at the moment I'm obviously looking to the immediate future and preparing for Spa this weekend."