Le Castellet, Sept 11: Toyota F1 drivers talk about the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. As last week's three day test session at the Paul Ricard circuit drew to a close, the Panasonic Toyota Formula One Racing team of Olivier Panis and Cristiano da Matta were optimistic about picking up some points at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix. After the disappointment of the last race in Hungary, Frenchman Panis is hopeful that he will return to form at Monza. "We have completed a reasonable amount of running and have continued our Monza preparation programme, working both on mechanical and also aerodynamic set-ups," said Panis. "I think our TF103 car will be reasonably competitive at the Italian Grand Prix." "I had never driven an F1 car at Monza prior to recent testing and, although it is a very fast circuit, it is not one I find so technically demanding," admitted Brazil's Da Matta.

Panis added - "Our TF103 race car was quite competitive during the Hungarian Grand Prix, but we were not able to pick up any points. The car is normally not at its best at slow tracks like the Hungaroring, so we thought prior to going to the race that it was going to be a difficult weekend, but we actually got the car working well.


Qualifying in the top ten for the eleventh race this season and Cristiano setting the fifth fastest lap of the race demonstrated our real performance."


Monza is a completely different kind of track to the Hungaroring, with long straights, high speeds and heavy braking points. Where the Hungaroring is one of the slowest tracks on the calendar, Monza is the fastest track of the year where top speeds can reach more than 330 kph during the lap.


Another big factor to being quick at Monza is the engine. According to Panis, "You need lots of horsepower to push you down the straights and I am confident that we have a strong engine in the RVX-03. My aims for this weekend remain the same as they have done all year: to qualify in the top 10 and to finish in the points. If we can do that, I'll be happy "



Toyota, in their second season of Formula One are currently 7th in the constructors standings with just 14 points and only Jordan and Sauber below them.


In the drivers championship, Da Matta is 12th and Panis, at 37 the oldest current Formula One driver, is 14th.


Bureau Report