Toyota Drivers Positive after Practice

The Toyota team are optimistic of a strong weekend following Friday's practice for the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix.

Third driver Ricardo Zonta was the fastest of the Toyota trio today, the Brazilian finishing in a promising 10th position with the first of the TF104 cars. His compatriot and teammate Cristiano da Matta, 14th today, was happy with the team's progress.

"We are in similar shape to the last race in Malaysia, which looks promising for the rest of the weekend," said da Matta. "The track is difficult in the sense that there is little margin for error. Off the racing line, it is still very dusty and you go from quite a bit of decent grip to absolutely zero.

"We were able to improve the car a lot during today's sessions. I think there will be more improvements from everyone tomorrow, which will come mainly from the track conditions, but we also hope to make further steps forward on the car."

Frenchman Olivier Panis, whose team are still to score this year, finished two places behind da Matta in 16th.

"The balance of the car was quite good and we will continue to improve the car in practice tomorrow," said the Frenchman. "Ricardo did a very important job on the tyres today and I think this has helped us to make the correct decision.

"Having more new tyres available on the third car is a big advantage at this track because the conditions improve all the time. Everyone in the team worked well and I am looking forward to a good day tomorrow."