Vote of confidence for McNish

Speaking about the team's driver pairing of the Scot and Mika Salo, Brunner said: "They are both experienced and both doing a fantastic job. They are the solid parts of the team, like the engine." Then, candidly, the man responsible for the car added: "The chassis is not as good yet because we need to put a structure in place first."

With established drivers such as Nick Heidfeld and even Jacques Villeneuve already linked with the team, McNish will feel a certain pressure to perform and is now coming to circuits on which he has previous experience.

The benefits became clear when, despite a first corner spin, he finished Friday's free practice fifth fastest, his 1m11.140s lap just 0.6s behind the fastest Ferrari time of the session.

"I think the fact that I have raced here before has helped, because Barcelona was the first circuit where that was the case," he said. "That's been an advantage, definitely. You can just get on it quicker. It was a funny situation being out there and actually finding yourself faster than a Williams at times!"

Team mate Mika Salo finished the first day 19th, over a second slower, but Brunner explained that whereas McNish had conducted a tyre comparison on a relatively low fuel load, Salo had done the same exercise with higher levels.

Salo said: "The set-up was good and although there is a slight high speed balance problem, I'm confident for qualifying."

The Toyota TF102 is better suited to a circuit that demands strong power delivery and good braking, rather than Barcelona, which placed an emphasis on aerodynamics. Also Toyota conducted a full race meeting simulation in the Styrian mountain circuit last year.