Panis tests new engine, da Matta quickest in UK.

Panasonic Toyota Racing continued its dual three-day test at Silverstone and Monza yesterday [Wednesday], with Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis both completing substantial mileage.

Panis conducted the Italian leg of the session, and totalled 91 laps whilst testing a new engine specification that the team plans to use at next weekend's Canadian Grand Prix. da Matta, meanwhile, continued running at Silverstone, where he carried out general set-up work and tyre testing, clocking the fastest time of the day over his 75 laps.

"We had another decent day of running and got through most of the long job list we had today, despite rain in the morning and early afternoon," the diminutive Brazilian reported, "We made some good improvements to the TF103's set-up overnight and did a bit of tyre testing.

"Overall, it has been a highly productive two days for me at Silverstone, with over 150 laps completed. I am handing the car over to [test driver] Ricardo [Zonta] for the final day tomorrow, as I am going to Belo Horizonte before the Canadian Grand Prix to acclimatise myself to the time difference in Montreal, which is the same as in Brazil."

Panis replaced Zonta behind the wheel of the Monza car, and enjoyed better conditions than his Silverstone-bound team-mate with warm and sunny conditions prevailing throughout.

"It was a good day and we managed 91 laps, which is very encouraging," the Frenchman said, "We tested the new engine specification that we plan to use in Canada and things are looking quite promising.

"We also worked on many other things, however, including some small tyre tests, and we have learned some interesting things. I hope we can continue in this positive direction tomorrow."