Karthikeyan Hopes for Strong Race

Karthikeyan, in the spotlight this weekend after he hit back at his Colin Kolles following critical comments from the team boss, finished ahead of Jordan teammate Tiago Monteiro and was satisfied with his performance.

"My qualifying time was OK," said Karthikeyan. "I think I did a clean enough lap. I had the impression that the track has changed quite a lot since this morning, it was a bit more slippery and the track temperature was high.

"It is also very hard on the brakes. I am sure we have made the right choice of tyres and I hope I will have a good race tomorrow."

Monteiro was 18th quickest after making a mistake on his flying lap.

"My lap was pretty good; I was pushing really hard until the last corner where I made a mistake which cost me some time," said Monteiro.

"However, I am quite satisfied with the balance of the car. It will be a long and challenging race tomorrow, especially if it is that hot but I think we will be OK. I am looking forward to that."