Toyota Aiming for Regular Podiums

Although the team have not had a top three finish since Spain in May, he denied their early-season form had begun to drop off.

"I think sometimes we have had some good qualifying and the race pace has not been so good," he told a British Grand Prix news conference after Brazilian test driver Ricardo Zonta finished second in both Friday practice sessions.

Germany's Ralf Schumacher was also fifth in both.

"When that has happened it is because generally we have got something wrong on the car on the balance for race day," continued Gascoyne.

"The car has been pretty consistent on all tracks. I think just the last few races we have thrown away some good positions.

"In Canada we had the brake problem with (Italian) Jarno Trulli when he was third and would have finished on the podium, so I don't think we have particularly dropped off, I think we just have not taken all the things that are available to us.

"I think we can still race for podiums at most of the circuits for the rest of the year."

Trulli was third in Malaysia, Bahrain and Spain in March, April and May respectively. He has also qualified on the front row four times, with Toyota's first pole position in Indianapolis at a race he did not start.

Last year, Toyota were among the tail-enders despite having one of the sport's biggest budgets.

"This is the first time up at the sharp end for the whole team and they are a young team and the guys there are learning that when you are at the sharp end you have got to get everything right," said Gascoyne.

"We have made a couple of mistakes on the pit wall and throughout the weekend in the last few races and that is probably natural with such a young team. But if we want to be racing at the sharp end we have got to get it all right."