Panis fastest on final day at Paul Ricard

The two teams had to battle with windy conditions at the South French track, which affected the morning session in particular, leaving the four test drivers on site to run primarily in the afternoon.

Wind was not the only hardship for Toyota and McLaren, though: Ricardo Zonta suffered from gearbox problems, while McLaren's Pedro de la Rosa was sidelined for a while as engineers had to take his engine out of the car for some fixing.

Panis ran the least number of laps throughout the day, as his car stopped with a water leak. But the Frenchman managed to set the fastest time - a feat he was particularly pleased with, considering he had not driven the car for over a month before returning to testing yesterday.

The veteran driver, who was behind the wheel of the TF106B for the first time, told autosport.com: "It was difficult for me to come back to test, but with the new chassis we had a very positive test today.

We had some problems yesterday (with the engine), which did not allow me much milege, but I think it is OK, it's good. I think we need to study, learn more about this car, but more importantly we no longer have tyre issues, so I am pretty confident in the car - knowing I can do a quick lap on the first lap.

Panis also predicted that the new Toyota B car will be suit the Monaco track and will show its competitiveness next month, when the Grand Prix circus goes to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix.

"I found a good balance in the car, found a set-up which suits my driving style, and it seems in the low downforce trim for Canada, the car is quite good - it really sticks to the ground, and it's very stable, even in the chicane [with such low downforce].

"I think the B-car's front-end is much stiffer, and there is less understeer in the middle of the corner, which is good. I think it is good for Monaco. Although I did not drive on the Monaco configuration, but we are in good shape for Canada.

"We just have to keep going, to develop further. We have done a good job."

Pos  Driver      Team                   Time      Laps
 1.  Panis       Toyota            (B)  1:27.143   35
 2.  Zonta       Toyota            (B)  1:27.239   88
 3.  De la Rosa  McLaren-Mercedes  (M)  1:27.290   87
 4.  Paffett     McLaren-Mercedes  (M)  1:27.649   42