Better than expected, says Kimi

It was an impressive performance from the Finn who has been struggling with handling problems all weekend. But when it mattered he hooked up a strong lap to put him seventh on the grid, surprising even the cool Kimi.

"We did better than expected as the car has been quite difficult to handle so far this weekend," he said. "However we managed to find a good balance and an overall improvement in time for qualifying, which is what it's all about, so overall I'm pleased. It will be a difficult race tomorrow, but we have a strong strategy and will do our best, so hopefully we will be reliable and score some points."

Team-mate David Coulthard though was unhappy with his 12th place and hopes that this weekend will be the last time he has to race in the MP4-19, which is set to be replaced by the MP4-19B at the next race in France.

"It's the last race with this car, hopefully," said a disconsolate Scot. "It felt as unpredictable as usual. It slid around a lot in the corners. I was reasonably happy with the balance of the car in the first run. We didn't make any changes between sessions, so I was a little bit surprised when the car felt different.

"I got out of shape in the corners and used more traction control which just soaks up the time. It will be a tough race tomorrow, and a lot will depend on track temperature."