BARCELONA -- "Lows, I have a lot," Cristiano da Matta said of the first four races of his Formula One career. But a very definite high came on Friday's opening day of qualifying for his fifth career event, in Spain, as he turned in the fourth fastest time in his Toyota.

Now, with his rookie F1 season just past the one-quarter mark, da Matta talked about his season so far and what lies ahead.

	Cristiano da Matta is off to a steady, but unspectacular, start in Formula One.

"I have had some good performances," the Brazilian told ESPN.com, "although with fuel loads we were not able to show how quick we were. In Australia we were very quick. In Malaysia we were very quick. We struggled in Brazil and in Imola, and here in Spain we are on our best form so far this season. So it is definitely a high for us this season.

"When you have a good performance but you cannot show everybody or capitalize on it, it is not a high. It is just a semi high. Here we should be strong here all weekend, but it is qualifying and the race that count."

Like most F1 teams, Toyota has tested countless miles around the Barcelona circuit. Knowing the track so intimately allowed Toyota to dial in the car perfectly.

"We tested a lot here in the winter," da Matta said. "It makes us wonder if the car has this kind of potential at this track what we have to do make it go as fast at other tracks. Because we are still so new in the business, this is only the second year for the team and my first year, it still takes us a little bit too long to find the correct set up for the car at some tracks."

For the record, da Matta's best qualifying effort in the first four races was an 11th in Malaysia and his best finish was a 10th in Brazil.

So does the performance in Spain mark a turning point?

"It is too soon to talk about something like this," da Matta said. "I hope we can maintain this type of performance more often."

Da Matta has said that the hardest thing to adapt to when making the move from CART to F1 is the grooved tires used in F1. He feels he still has a way to go on that front.

"I am not going to say just because I have the good result today that I am 100 percent adapted to everything," he said. "I still have a lot to learn. I feel like I have a lot more potential in me. I have to keep my head down and keep working."

The CART race at England's Brands Hatch circuit is scheduled for the Monday after Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix. The reigning CART champ, da Matta said he was going to try to get over to see all his old friends.

"I am trying hard," he said. "I am not sure if I am going, but I am trying."

Da Matta was never a big fan of the IRL, but he will be keeping a close eye on this year's Indianapolis 500 where a lot of his CART buddies are competing.

"I am not a big fan of the series," he said, "but I am a very big fan of the Indy 500. It is definitely a race I want to compete in one day. A good friend of mine (Tony Kanaan) is second in the points right now, so I will be watching him very closely."

While da Matta was on high in Spain -- at least Friday -- fellow Brazilian and F1 rookie Antonio Pizzonia was under all sorts of pressure after a slow start to the season. Rumor had it that Pizzonia would be replaced by the next race.

"Being nice," da Matta said, "what I can say is that it is a very unfair situation because I don't think four or five races is enough for anybody to prove if he is good or bad, especially as Pizzonia is a guy who has proven to be quick everywhere when testing the Williams. If anything, it is a situation of the team being a little bit too impulsive."

Da Matta says Toyota has not put any pressure on him so far this season.

"It is still a young team and I am young in this business too," he said. "We are just building up our relationship."

His relationship with teammate Olivier Panis couldn't be better.

"It is very, very easy to work with Olivier," da Matta said. "He is a nice guy and has his feet on the ground. We exchange a lot of information."

Da Matta is the first to admit that one good result doesn't automatically mean others will follow. Still, he says he and Toyota have the same goals they did at the start of the season.

"The goals are the same," he said. "We were a bit too optimistic at the beginning of the season trying to qualify in the top-10 and finish in the top eight. But we have to set the goals high, and if we cannot do it, we have to work harder."

Dan Knutson covers Formula One for National Speed Sport News and ESPN.com.