Sauber says team back on right track

Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi made it to Q3 and qualified in 10th position, while team-mate Pedro de la Rosa wound up 13th to complete a solid day for the team.

After the struggles of Monaco, Sauber was upbeat about his team's performance.

"Looking at our performance, it's obvious we are back on track," said Sauber. "This is a great achievement for the drivers and the team. Kamui's P9 in Q2 in particular is a fantastic result.

"Looking at who was behind him in Q2, he can really be proud of his lap."

Kobayashi himself was also very pleased with his position, although he lamented not having more fresh tyres for Q3.

"I'm really happy to be in Q3 for the third time," he said. "Especially after Monaco, this is very important for the team. We are back on the pace we had in Barcelona. For me driving here was much better on Saturday than on Friday, as set-up changes as well as conditions played a role.

"In Q3 I could not fight because we hadn't a fresh set of option tyres left, as we had already used them all. However, we kept working hard and apparently it pays off."

De la Rosa added: "Overall we have made progress. The balance of the car in general was very good. It was actually best on the harder Prime tyres, therefore I could not get the extra grip out of the softer Option compound. My last lap, I have to say, wasn't brilliant.

"I lost some time in the final sector. I believe we have quite a consistent car for the race, because our long runs in free practice were good. Also I regard it as an advantage to have a grid position on the clean side of the track, as with all the dust here this really makes a difference."