Oliver Panis has set foot in a Formula One car for the final time after bringing the curtain down on his career on the final day of Toyota's test in Jerez.

The Frenchman, who also drove for Ligier, Prost and BAR during his F1 career, joined Toyota in 2003 and spent two seasons in a race seat before retiring from active competition to concentrate on testing duties in 2005 and 2006 while also passing on his experience to Toyota's younger drivers.

However Panis, who made 157 race starts during his F1 career and clinched a memorable win in the 1996 Monaco GP from 14th on the grid, announced in September that he would retire from F1 for good at the end of the year – with the final day of the three-day test at Jerez marking his final appearance at the wheel.

To celebrate Panis' contribution to Formula 1, Toyota Motor Europe handed over a piece of the Jerez circuit's asphalt as a permanent reminder of his many testing laps at the track, while Toyota colleague Jarno Trulli delivered a surprise gift of one of his racing helmets.

The test team also signed a rear wing end plate, which was presented to the 40-year-old at lunchtime to add to the Formula One car he received as a present from Panasonic Toyota Racing at the 2005 French Grand Prix - now has a personalised spare part.

Surrounded by team members, Panis then posed for photographs in the garage and it proved to his final action of the day as he was forced to stop driving early due to a cold.

"It was my last day in Formula One and I am sure I will miss it but eventually you have to make this decision,” Panis said. “I have enjoyed my time in Formula One, driving these cars, and I have enjoyed my time with Toyota. The team has always been good to me and it has been a great pleasure to work with them. But now is the right time for a change.

“Even though this was my last time in a Formula One car, it was still a normal day of testing and in the time I had in the car, we worked on learning about the new tyres for next season. I picked up a cold last weekend and I did not feel good today. It's a shame I could not finish the day but that's unfortunately the way it goes sometimes."

The final day of the test also brought to an end Ricardo Zonta's time with the team as he prepares to move to Renault next season.

As a farewell gesture, the team presented the Brazilian with a cake, a car part and a Toyota flag signed by the whole team.