Montagny tests for Toyota

By Luke Marc Carlile-Stanton
September 19 2006

Amid specualtion that he is to sign with Toyota for next season as the teams test driver, Frenchman Franck Montagny swapped his Super Aguri cockpit for a Toyota at today's test at Silverstone.

Montagny's name has been linked to the the test seat since it was announced shortly before the Italian Grand Prix two weeks ago that current Toyota test driver Ricardo Zonta will leave the team at the end of the year to join 2006 GP2 runner up Nelson Piquet Jr at Renault to be the teams two testers.

Montagny, wearing a black Alpinestars race suit today with no sponsors on is testing for Toyota so both he and the team can evaluate a possbile partnership for next season and beyond. Yesterday fellow Frenchman Olivier Panis annoucned his retirement from Formula 1 and Toyota said theye expected to reach an agreement with Franck Montagny in the near future.