Panis: We are Not Quick Enough

Toyota driver Olivier Panis said the Japanese outfit are just not quick enough to be competitive at the A1-Ring circuit.

The veteran Frenchman, who had often shone in this year's qualifying sessions, failed to repeat the feat and had to settle for 11th position more than a second off the pace. Panis, however, is hoping his strategy will allow him to put on a good performance in the race.

"We have had a difficult weekend and the car simply hasn't been right for this track," admitted Panis. "I think I did a good job in qualifying today and it was a respectable lap given the circumstances.

"Obviously we are not quick enough but the team has worked well to improve the car little by little over the weekend, and I think we are on a good strategy for tomorrow."

Brazilian teammate Cristiano da Matta finished in 13th position and like Panis the current CART champion was not completely satisfied with his car's handling.

"I am quite happy with my qualifying lap and my overall performance," said da Matta. "The track appeared to be a little slower than this morning, but still the time is not good and it has been a tough weekend so far. We have been struggling ever since the first practice session yesterday.

"We have to dig a little deeper to find the answers to why our car is not going well this weekend. We'll keep working on it."