BAR buoyed by new Honda

Jacques Villeneuve took 10th place on the grid with a time of 1m23.116s, with team-mate Olivier Panis not far behind in 12th with a 1m23.821s.

BAR faired better than Honda rivals Jordan, whose cars finished in 14th and 15th places with F1 rookie Takuma Sato out-qualifying team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella for the first time after the latter had to switch to the spare car during the session.

Villeneuve said the team had worked hard introducing changes to the car and should be pleased with the result. "The track seems to suit the car and we're starting from the first half of the grid, so if we can get a good first lap we should be in with a chance of getting a point," he said.

Team-mate Panis said: "It looks like the hard work done during the last two tests is starting to pay off and I'm very pleased for the team. Tenth and 12th is definitely a step forward for us.

"I was a little disappointed with my own qualifying session because I don't think we found the best set-up for me. On the positive side, we have been reliable all weekend so we need to stay focused and make the most of every opportunity tomorrow [in the race]."