Liuzzi still hopeful of points finish

The Force India driver qualified 13th, but claimed 'crazy' traffic prevented him from showing his true pace.

"It's really disappointing," said the Italian. "We were pretty optimistic we had the pace to get into Q3. Again I had traffic. We had problems with one of the Williams and also a Sauber.

"For me it was a real mess - I just did maybe one free lap in four runs and the only lap we did we had really good pace. All the other laps I had green sectors every time and we were never able to finish without another car stopping us."

Despite the setback, Liuzzi believes he can join team-mate Adrian Sutil, who qualified 10th, in the fight for points.

"At the end of the day in Bahrain from 12th position we finished in the points so nothing is over,' he said. 'I feel strong for tomorrow - the car is behaving well, the balance is good, it was just really crazy in qualifying with the traffic."

Liuzzi also believes Melbourne's notorious first corner will be the key to a good result.

"I think we have a big chance to score points, but the first corner will be quite a hot topic," he said. "When you are in our sort of position you are in the middle of a war.

"There are some drivers who always push a bit too hard at the first corner. If we are able to pass the first corner without any problems I think we are in good shape for the race."

Chances of a wet race are high, and Liuzzi believes this could help Force India.

"The rain has always been a friend of ours," said the 29-year-old . "We always have a really good performance in the rain.

"This car is completely new and we didn't do much testing in the wet, so we have a bit to hope the balance will be right for those conditions. It's a bit of a question mark, but I'm pretty optimistic."