Puncture Costs Massa Dear

Brazilian Felipe Massa will start from the back of the grid in tomorrow's Canadian Grand Prix after picking a puncture just ahead of his qualifying lap.

Massa failed to set a time in the second session when one of his car's rear tyres began to deflate ahead of his flying lap.

"I picked up a puncture at the start of my out lap, so that was it for me," the Sauber driver said at the end of the day. "The car felt so unstable that I knew something was wrong and had to come straight into the pits at the end of the lap.

"I'm disappointed because the car felt really good this morning and I'm sure I would have been able to set a competitive time this afternoon. I still believe I have the chance to salvage something in the race tomorrow, however, and will be fighting very hard."

Massa's teammate Giancarlo Fisichella enjoyed a much better day and was delighted after posting the 11th quickest time of the session.

"It's been a fantastic day for me, with two perfect qualifying sessions," said Fisichella. "To take 11th place on the grid, especially with the fuel load that we were running, is really, really good. The car has been great here, with good balance and traction, and the brakes have been perfect.

"This has possibly been one of the most positive weekends of my season so far and I'm really looking forward to exploiting that to the full in the race and adding to our points score."