A happy day for BAR

Whilst Jenson Button and Jacques Villeneuve took seventh and tenth places on the grid, Toyota have only ninth-qualifier Olivier Panis in the top ten. Jaguar's leading representative is Mark Webber in 11th. Their team-mates Cristiano da Matta and Justin Wilson will start 12th and 15th respectively.

"I'm really happy with seventh. It's been a while since I've done a really good qualifying lap so I am really pleased for the team," said Button. "Tomorrow is a crucial opportunity for us. We have a good strategy and can definitely get points."

Meanwhile murmurings about Jacques Villeneuve's future with the team continue to fly around the paddock. When questioned about rumours that BAR would replace Villeneuve with Takuma Sato next year, team boss David Richards replied: "We want the best driver line-up for next year, and that's what we'll have.

"We're in discussion and it's still an open debate," added Richards. "Jacques has had a few off-days recently, like all great sportsmen. The great thing about Jacques is that he expresses it and he's a character. "