Verstappen turns 100 tomorrow

If weather forecasts are correct it will be a sunny celebration for the former Dutch and European karting champion, although the 'orange brigade' will probably have a better time of it than their hero, who starts the European GP third from the back, in 18th place.

"This morning we struggled to find a good set-up," he said, "and then we lost track time with a wiring loom problem, just as we were trying different wing configurations. I was reasonably happy with my lap, considering the fuel load. But we need more downforce to improve our lap times here."

Team-mate Justin Wilson struggled round with a very twitchy rear end, but kept his PS03 on course to finish 19th. The Englishman went his own way on set up and it remains to be seen whose wing configuration is best for race conditions.

"I'm fairly pleased with today's performance," he said. "I lost a bit of time to Jos in the first sector, but we are running different wing levels. Overall I managed to push Jos abit, which I'm pleased about, and the car is pretty well balanced now. Let's see how things go in the race."