Aero woe for Jaguar

Drivers Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa complained of a lack of grip on the R3 which, with the cooler weather conditions, failed to produce the maximum performance from the cars' Michelin tyres. Irvine took 18th place on the grid with a time of 1m24.579s, while de la Rosa was 21st with a 1m24.852s.

Team boss Niki Lauda said afterwards: "It is very disappoitning, but it's no more than we expected. Our drivers are giving it everything, but with conditions like those we've experienced today, there is very little you can do."

Irvine was typically forthright in his view of the situation. "There is nothing I can do to make this car generate a good, fast lap," he said. "It's got the potential, yes, but for some reason we cannot get it to handle properly."

De la Rosa will be last on the grid unless Minardi's Alex Yoong, who qualified outside the 107 percent rule, is allowed to start the race tomorrow (Sunday). "It was a frustrating qualifying session to say the least," said de la Rosa. "Unless something extraordinary happens, we won't kid ourselves into thinking about points."