New Toyota gets first run

Both Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis got to drive the new car in France, and both were upbeat about their first impressions during Saturday's launch.

"We have done two days of running, along with some PR shots," said da Matta. "Everything seems to be going well. It's too early to get optimistic and make predictions, but everything looks good. I hope to make a big improvement on what we've done last year. To close the gap to the big teams is the main ambition. We want to move forward towards our eventual aim of winning.

"My first season in F1 was a lot of hard work but highly enjoyable. I was hindered by having to learn most of the circuits for the first time, but along with the team, I think I showed my potential. This year will be a different story and I will be on a level playing field to the other drivers, so we should aim for consistency in our performance and to make real progress to the top teams in 2004."

Panis said: "We did the shakedown test, which was really positive. We have already done a lot of laps and have a good feeling about the new car.

"On occasions in 2003, we showed what Toyota is capable of. Our race result in Hockenheim and our top three qualifying performances in Indianapolis and Suzuka proved that we could do the job. In 2004, we have to use these achievements as a springboard, to focus on reliability and get the results we deserve. That means plenty of points and a constant progression during the year."

Ricardo Zonta has been retained as Toyota's 'third driver' for 2004, which will mean he drives a third car in Friday's practice sessions. Formula 3 EuroSeries champion Ryan Briscoe also stays on board, and he will become more involved in the development side of things.