Birthday treat for Heidfeld

The German was the top non-Ferrari/Williams driver, and he was less than a tenth of a second away from beating Juan Pablo Montoya for fourth.

"At the start of qualifying we did a little test, then I got a very good lap on my third run," he explained. "I'm happy to be fifth on the grid, and pleased with the performance our of latest Petronas engine. Since we are always strong in race trim I believe that the third row will be a very good place to start."

Felipe Massa matched his team-mate's pace around the A1-Ring, although his style was a lot more ragged. He was heading for sixth on the grid until McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen improved late on, but seventh place is still the best qualifying performance of his nascent career.

"I made a mistake on my first run and got on to the gravel, so I aborted the lap," he said. "I'm really disappointed that I couldn't hold on to fifth place after my third run, but on my last one I made another small mistake, otherwise I would have been even quicker, for sure."