Salo warns of Toyota inconsistency

Salo, who opted for a year of testing with the German-based team last year rather than racing, completed the team's final pre-season test at Paul Ricard last weekend along with team mate Allan McNish after almost 4000 miles of running since January.

According to the Finn, the Japanese manufacturer has made good progress, but inconsistency could be a hindrance in the early races.

Salo said: "I don't want to expect anything before the first race because if you expect too much, then you have harder to fall. I haven't done any qualifying for over a year, so that will be interesting. We are very inconsistent and there will be mistakes, but as long as we learn from those mistakes, then we'll be OK."

Toyota has played down its chances for this year, but McNish, who will make his GP debut Down Under has echoed Salo's sentiments of cautiousness. While the Scot is reserving judgement on how his new team will fare, he is optimistic.

"We definitely have to wait until Melbourne to see how we compare," said McNish. "As long as we come away from every weekend having done the best possible job, and I think we have to do that, then the results will come naturally."