Zonta flies in third Toyota

Third driver Zonta, who is suffering from a bout of 'flu this weekend, was fourth quickest in the first session in his TF104, outpacing race team drivers Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis.

"We made good progress between the first and second sessions," said Zonta. "We found a tyre that performs quite well over one lap and also consistently for the race. The lap time that I achieved over the long run was encouraging.

"I have been suffering from flu this week and I occasionally felt a bit bad in the car during the session today, so to see the positive end result of our efforts is very rewarding. We improved the braking a lot from one session to the next, and also how the car handles the kerbs, which is important at Montreal. Overall, it has been a strong first day."

Panis, meanwhile, admits he is struggling to get to grips with his car and ended the day 13th overall: "I am not so happy with the two practice sessions. All day I was not really confident with my car. Additionally I was held up by traffic. I think that there are some drivers on the grid who should use their mirrors more often in order to avoid traffic problems."