Toyota pinpoints fuel pressure problems

The team was disappointed after Panis had started well and was running a competitive fifth in the early stages of the race.

"I had a good battle early on with Rubens Barrichello," said Panis. "Things were looking really promising for us and the car was really competitive. I came in for my scheduled pitstop and we put in some fuel, but after three corners the fuel pressure suddenly went down and the engine died.

"The problem was very similar to what we experienced in Melbourne, but at the moment we don't know if it is exactly the same."

For da Matta, Malaysia represented his first grand prix finish, but the Brazilian felt disappointed not to have been able to compete on an even footing. "It was a very tough race today," said da Matta. "On the way to the grid I had a problem with the race car, so I had to jump in the T-car and start from the pitlane. We then had a problem with the fuel pressure running on a lighter fuel load, so I had to run the whole race on a full tank, which made overtaking impossible."

Team principal Ove Andersson commented: "We at least have a specific problem to deal with now, and simply we have to get it fixed for the next race. Competitiveness is one thing, but we now have to focus on the most important thing, which is reliability."