Stall adds pressure on Panis

Panis had qualified an impressive eighth, to equal his best grid slot of the season, but it all went wrong at the start when his car failed to move away at the lights. And although Panis has been blamed for similar problems earlier this season, his team has insisted that it was a non-driver related issue this time.

The Frenchman, who recovered to eventually finish 14th, said: "The anti-stall kicked in unexpectedly and the car would not get going, so I was at the back of the field heading down to the first corner. All I can say is that we will work hard together to try and find a solution for the future."

Team boss Tsutomu Tomita, who saw Ricardo Zonta retire from the race with gearbox trouble, said: "Olivier got an anti-stall at the start due to a problem related to the engine and it was something that he could do nothing about."

Although the team has insisted that there are no current plans to change its driver line-up this season as it bids to beat Jaguar for seventh spot in the constructors' championship, that stance could change this week when Jarno Trulli has his first complete test with the team.

The Italian, who parted with Renault after the Italian Grand Prix, will drive for three days at Jerez in Spain and it is understood that if he is happy with the car then he could be drafted into the team in time for the Japanese Grand Prix.

It is not known whether Toyota will replace Panis or Zonta if it decides to go with Trulli, but it has been suggested that Panis would be the most likely one to be demoted. He has already signed on as a future test driver with the team.

With Panis and Zonta staying in Asia between races whatever happens, the team has drafted in academy drivers Franck Perera and Katsuyuki Hiranaka for aerodynamic testing at Vairano in Italy next week too.