Toyota gutted over flop

Cristiano da Matta struggled with a lack of grip in qualifying, while team-mate Olivier Panis didn't even get to complete his second qualifying lap due to an electrical fault.

"I am not pleased with my lap," said the crestfallen da Matta. "This afternoon, for some reason, the car has been more disconnected than it was in morning practice; the balance was not as good and we had less grip. Compared to what we achieved this morning, I was expecting a much better result. I made a small mistake in turn 14, which lost me a few tenths, but generally the grip levels were not as good this afternoon. We need to work very hard for the race tomorrow."

Panis said: "The morning practice sessions were quite positive. From Friday, we improved the car a lot and I felt much more confident to drive to the maximum. I think we did a reasonable job in the first qualifying run, but we could not start the engine for my second run due to an electronics malfunction and I was unable to get going in time."

The team's technical chief, Mike Gascoyne, explained Panis's problem: "Before Olivier's second run there was some electrical damage to the car, which meant that we were unable to fire it up properly. We then tried to start the car but the electrical damage prevented his throttle from working, so we couldn't get out in time.

"All in all it was a very disappointing qualifying after what was a highly productive morning for the team. We now have to concentrate on ensuring that we put in the strongest race performance we can."