Zonta Delighted to be Back in Brazil

Toyota driver Ricardo Zonta was delighted to be back racing in Brazil after taking part in today's opening practice for his home race.

Zonta, who last raced in his home country in 2000, is the third Brazilian who will race at this weekend's race, replacing Frenchman Olivier Panis at the Toyota team. Zonta missed the Japanese Grand Prix a fortnight ago, when Panis retired from racing.

"It is great to be back racing in Brazil, although it has been a while since I have driven here at Interlagos," said Zonta, 14th quickest today. "Typically, this track is dusty and slippery on the opening day and it was no different today. When you are right on the limit, it is easy to put one wheel on the dirt and spin off.

"We improved the car throughout both sessions today, but we still have some additional things to try tomorrow morning. The work we carried out in the Jerez test last week has proved very useful, particularly in terms of the tyre performance. I think we have a good direction for the rest of the weekend."

Italian teammate Jarno Trulli was also pleased with his day's work despite posting the 16th quickest time of the day.

"It was a positive practice day for me," Trulli said. "I completed a lot of laps and we were able to compare the two Michelin tyre compounds without any trouble. The overall lap time does not look too good, because I couldn't put everything together on my first lap with new tyres.

"However, I am extremely happy with the balance and general behaviour of the car around this circuit. We will work hard to find a bit more performance tomorrow."