Blame it on brainfade, says Jenson

Fisichella will line up only 16th, with Button 17th, despite the team introducing an evolution of Renault's so far disappointing wide-angle V10 and a new aerodynamic package. But Button believes he should have been higher.

"On our first qualifying run the car was well balanced, although it was a bit twitchy at the rear end," he said. "I could handle that, but my run was spoiled because Eddie Irvine spun off in front of me. My second run was better, but I'm afraid I mucked up the next two because I was supposed to adjust the differential setting after Turn 2. Unfortunately, I forgot to do so on both occasions..."

Fisichella believes the engine and aero changes have made a difference to the team, which has so far only scored one point in nine races this season. But the Italian believes the real improvements will not be instant.

"We started this morning with the wrong set-up," he said, "but we managed to improve the car, which was fairly satisfying. Our new package is not yet fully sorted, but I am happy with the chassis balance. The latest evolution is definitely a step in the right direction, but I think you will see even better performances from us very soon."

Technical director Mike Gascoyne remained relaistic on how much difference the mods have made, saying: "The sector one times show that we still have to do a bit of fine-tuning in the higher-speed corners, but overall this has been a small step forward that hopefully marks the beginning of many steps forward."