Panis Delighted after Impressive Qualifying

Frenchman Olivier Panis was delighted with his performance in second qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix, the first race of the 2003 season.

"I am really happy about the performance of the car and it's nice to be up the front end of the grid in my race debut for the team," said Panis after posting an impressive fifth fastest time with the Toyota TF103.

"I think we did a good job this morning to compare the Michelin tyres and I think we made a good choice. Now we have to wait until tomorrow to see how we go in the race. Everybody worked really hard and at the end of the day this was a positive qualifying, so I would like to thank every single member of the team here and in Cologne."

Panis, the oldest driver of the current grid, is racing with the Toyota team for the first time this weekend after switching from BAR.

The veteran driver's teammate Cristiano da Matta, who qualified in 16th position for his first Grand Prix, revealed they were on different strategies for tomorrow's race, suggesting Panis could be running with less fuel.

"I was expecting a clear run for my single lap, so I was surprised to see a car right in front of me," said the Brazilian. "Psychologically it slows you down a little bit. Anyway, both Olivier and myself were on different strategies and I still think we can challenge for points tomorrow."