Toro Rosso celebrate 'fantastic' result

Vettel, who has been very fast all weekend, confirmed his strong form by qualifying in sixth position, his best result in Formula One.

Now the German is looking to score solid points in the race, although he admitted he is staying realistic.

"My best result ever so I am pleased, as it has taken a bit of time to improve on my P7 that I did in my first grand prix," said Vettel. "It's been a fantastic day for us. We made some changes to the set-up overnight and they all turned out to be positive.

"The team worked hard to make the most of the data. We didn't expect to do this well here but it's a good thing to have both cars in Q3. My last lap should have been a bit better, but I made a mistake in turn 12, locking the rear under braking.

"Now we have to keep our feet on the ground, because there are a lot of laps ahead of us tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the race when I think we have a real chance to score points."

Toro Rosso's brilliant day was completed by Sebastien Bourdais, who made it to Q3 for the first time this season.

The Frenchman, 10th, admitted he was still not as fast as he wanted using the softer tyres, but was pleased with his showing.

"This wasn't bad," he said. "I am still having my problem of not finding grip on the "option" tyre, so we need to work on that. But I am happy that our performance is getting better. I'm really pleased to be in Q3 for the first time. It's a good feeling as I kept waiting to hear that I dropped down to 11 or 12.

"What we have seen here is that, on a new track, some teams have worked in the right direction and some have not. The team did a good job of giving me a car that was one of the best today.

"Now it is up to me to get the most out of it in the race. It's bound to be a tough race but I hope to be in a position to fight for points after making a good start."