Zonta: I was at flat-out before crash.

Toyota reserve driver Ricardo Zonta has revealed that he was approaching top speed when he crashed out of the Monza group test yesterday [Thursday].

Fortunately, the Brazilian was able to walk away unhurt from the shunt at the circuit's famous Parabolica corner, but was prevented from completing his programme on day four of the test when the car proved beyond immediate repair. The team has since discovered a tyre problem was to blame for the accident, although it is not thought that the rubber itself was at fault.

"My test ended abruptly when I went off approaching the Parabolica due to a puncture caused when I picked up some debris on the right rear tyre," Zonta reported, "I was going along at top speed in top gear - about 330kph - when I felt the problem at the rear and then hit the tyre barrier.

"I had a similar accident in the same place a few years ago and, at that speed, you never quite know what will happen. Thankfully, I'm absolutely fine. The chassis survived intact too, but the bodywork and suspension suffered a lot of damage."

Zonta has partnered Olivier Panis for the first two days of the test, working on set-up for the forthcoming flyaway races, as well as for the return to Monza in September.

"We spent most of the week working on tyres and aerodynamics for Indianapolis," he confirmed, "We found some good tyre solutions for long runs, although we still need to find a bit of qualifying performance. As the team had already begun travelling to Canada for next week's grand prix, we didn't have enough parts to rebuild the car here, so I missed the last day of the test."