McNish the man for Toyota

The experienced sportscar racer has been appointed as the team's test and development driver to prepare for its entry in 2002.

McNish, a former McLaren test driver, began his testing duties by driving the GT-One - last year's Le Mans entry - at Monza recently.

Following Friday's announcement, he said: "This is a great day for me.

"To join Toyota at such a significant stage in the company's motorsport development is a great challenge. It's a wonderful company and I'm really looking forward to playing a major part in the F1 programme."

President of Toyota Motorsport, Ove Andersson, was delighted to have McNish onboard.

He said: "I'm delighted that Allan has joined us at this exciting time in Toyota's history.

"His ability and experience over the years have marked him out as a talented driver.

"In his single-seater career he demonstrated his natural ability and, in recent years, he has been a true star of sportscar racing.

"His speed, consistency and technical knowledge are now invaluable skills to us as we continue development towards our entry in Formula 1."

Toyota is set to undertake a series of test with the GT-One, which will be used as a development machine for various systems to be used in the F1 programme.

The team claims that the tests with the GT-One will help collect data on circuits, tyres and hydraulic systems.