By Michele Lostia and Glenn Freeman Friday, February 2nd 2007, 11:20 GMT
Jacques Villeneuve has said that he didn't expect the Peugeot 908 to perform as well as it did during his first test with the car.
The Canadian completed his first laps behind the wheel at Paul Ricard on Thursday, and Villeneuve was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the diesel-powered car, which he will race at Le Mans later this year.
"This is a true racing machine," Villeneuve was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "I didn't expect that from a diesel.
"It accelerates quickly, it runs in curves at high speed, and it brakes in an impressive way."
Many of Villeneuve's observations were similar to those of the Audi drivers when they first sampled the diesel-powered R10 last year.
"I've discovered it's a real racing engine with lots of power at its disposal," he added. "What struck me most is the absence of noise in the cockpit when you're standing still."
Villeneuve is expected to continue testing at the French circuit until Monday.
