Button mystified by lack of speed

"The car felt reasonably good today which shows that the balance is there so we didn't expect to be in this position," said the Honda driver after qualifying in 17th position.

"It's strange to have a car which is feeling so consistent and to still not make it out of the first qualifying session. It seems to be a lack of efficient downforce which is affecting our pace.

"I also lost two tenths at the first corner compared to this morning which is a massive amount of time when everyone around you is competing so closely.

"It's very disappointing for both myself and the whole team," added the Briton, winner in Hungary last season.

It was the third time in as many races that Button has failed to make it to Q2.

Teammate Rubens Barrichello completed a dismal day for Honda, the Brazilian qualifying down in 18th.

"After practice this morning, it wasn't clear which tyre would perform better in qualifying this afternoon," he said. "Therefore we used both the prime and option tyre and they felt completely different on each of my runs.

"Unfortunately the car is nowhere near where we want it to be at the moment and our positions in qualifying today reflect the lack of pace. It will be a hard race for us tomorrow."