Corbett: I am cautiously optimistic for Toyota.

Humphrey Corbett, Olivier Panis' race engineer at Panasonic Toyota Racing talks us through the challenges of the French Grand Prix...

"The French Grand Prix will be a particularly special one for us, as it is Olivier's home race. This will undoubtedly add a little pressure in front of his home crowd, although I am cautiously optimistic for this weekend's race.

"The Circuit de Nevers in Magny-Cours has undergone a considerable renovation since last year's event, and consequently could provide a much-needed additional overtaking opportunity just before the last corner.

"The old 4.251-kilometre configuration was not great for passing manoeuvres, the most opportune occasion coming on the long straight down to turn 5 - Adelaide. If you get good traction and a good line out of the Estoril corner, it is possible to use the engine to power your way past.

"The new-look 4.411km Magny-Cours is still very flat and the surface is mega smooth, so we have the option to set the car up much stiffer and lower than usual. Additionally, there are no noticeable kerbs, which means we can reduce the car's ride height and run with maximum downforce.

"It is a technical track, which makes it fun from a drivers' and engineers' perspective. To be quick, we need good aero efficiency, good traction and change of direction. The circuit is essentially a combination of medium speed corners interlinked with long fast straights and hairpins, which should suit our TF103 race car.

"The race weekend not only marks the home race of Oliver, but also of our tyre supplier Michelin, who have performed exceptionally well this season. I am sure they will deliver the goods again.

"Being French, Olivier knows the track very well, which could give us an upper hand this weekend, and I honestly think that if everything falls into place, we should be on for some points in Magny-Cours. I will reserve final judgement until Friday morning, when we will see if we have a good set-up on the car and to see what the new section of the track is like.

"Because we could not test in between N?rburgring and Magny-Cours, we are relying on set-up information and tyre data that we collected a couple of weeks ago in Jerez and Paul Ricard, so I think we have a lot of confirmation work to do in the brief one-hour session on Friday morning.

"We investigated the problem we had at the European Grand Prix with Olivier's brake locking, and it appears we have pinpointed the problem already. After the race we noticed that one of the front uprights was fractured, which was probably the cause of Olive's spins and ultimate retirement from the race. An isolated incident that unfortunately cost us an almost certain points finish."

Humphrey Corbett.