Trulli says third place was possible

"We had a very good run today in qualifying so I am pleased with the result and I am very happy with the car," said the Toyota driver.

"We have made some aerodynamic upgrades for this race which have improved our performance and the gap to the fastest cars in low-fuel qualifying was quite small so this is a positive sign.

"The team has done a great job this weekend because from the first practice session the car felt strong and was very competitive. This has continued all through the weekend so far.

"Maybe my lap in Q3 could have been slightly quicker and we could have made it into the top three but in the end I think we are where we deserve to be.

"I have to admit I don't normally enjoy Silverstone and I haven't had much luck here so I am really happy to be at the front of the grid for what could be the last Grand Prix here for a while."

Team-mate Timo Glock completed a positive day for the Toyota team, the German qualifying in eighth position.

Glock admitted he was not expecting such a good result following his problems in practice.

"The result is pretty good and I have to be happy about being in the top eight because I was not sure it would be possible after practice yesterday," Glock said. "I have been struggling a bit with the car and compared to Jarno I haven't been able to achieve the same lap times.

"The problem for me has been getting temperature into the tyres and that has caused me to struggle for grip at times. I've not been completely happy all weekend but the result today looks decent so I hope I can score points tomorrow."