Albers Expecting Tough Race

While the fight between Minardi and Jordan has been close in recent races, the Anglo-Italian squad failed to match their rivals' pace today, with Albers finishing a second behind the Jordan of Narain Karthikeyan.

Albers claimed the Silverstone circuit doesn't suit Minardi's car and he is expecting a difficult race tomorrow.

"It was a bit difficult to get enough heat in the tyres in just the one warm-up lap, but even so, I'm satisfied with my qualifying effort," said Albers. "I think it was a good lap, particularly considering Patrick and I are on similar strategies tomorrow.

"As far as the circuit is concerned, Silverstone is a very nice track, but doesn't suit the Minardi chassis as well as some others we visit. Undoubtedly, tomorrow's race will prove to be tough, but we'll see what we can do."

Things, however, were worse for Albers' teammate Patrick Friesacher, who was another whole second behind the Jordan after having problems with his car's handling.

"I'm a bit disappointed with the qualifying result," said the Austrian. "The morning practice was good, as we were able to improve lap after lap during both sessions. Unfortunately, I had a problem with the brakes on my qualifying lap, and the chassis balance wasn't perfect either.

"The track temperature rose this afternoon, and I think that affected the handling. As a result, I was struggling with the car, and my lap time reflected that."