Barrichello relieved to escape last rows

"We have to be pleased with what we achieved in qualifying today, particularly given that we have been pretty much at the bottom of the timesheets so far this weekend," said Barrichello, who will start tomorrow's race from 16th position after failing to make it past the first qualifying segment.

"It was a good lap and a good effort from the team. It's just a shame that the car is not able to be more competitive here," the Brazilian added.

Teammate Jenson Button qualified in 17th position after being forced to miss all of this morning's practice session due to mechanical problems.

The Briton went into qualifying not having a full lap on Saturday and he said he had to be happy given the circumstances.

"My first lap in qualifying was the first lap that I did today so in a way it was nice to be able to beat some of our competitors and be close to my teammate," he said.

"It was a decent session for us, at the level of performance which the car is showing this weekend, and we will at least be starting from the clean side of the grid. Rain tomorrow would make the race more interesting but unfortunately it's not looking likely."