Sato puts Button in shade

The Japanese driver was delighted with his flying lap despite having a near miss at Turn 11.

"I'm really pleased with my lap," he said. "We expected to be strong here after Germany and this has proved to be the case. I think the weather has taken everyone by surprise and the last few runners this afternoon - including myself - were lucky that the rain held off until after the session. It's a great bonus for the team that we have both cars on the second row of the grid tomorrow. I feel confident about the race and my focus now will be on achieving my objective of a podium finish."

Button, who has faced a deluge of attention following his decision to leave BAR for Williams next year, was less happy with his effort.

"I'm slightly disappointed to be honest," he said. "I didn't get enough heat in the tyres on the out-lap and that compromised my quick lap. Nonetheless, locking out the second row behind the Ferraris is a good team result and we can do a good job from there tomorrow. I would have been happier to be on the front row but the Bridgestones have been working better than any of us expected.

"The most important thing now is to make sure we stay ahead of the Renaults tomorrow."