Ferrari happy if it keeps raining

Ferrari's Bridgestone tyres appeared to have a large performance advantage over their Michelin rivals in such conditions, and the Japanese manufacturer swept the top four places in the first qualifying session.

"I hope it rains again on Sunday," said Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn. "The drivers are happy with the way this afternoon's qualifying went in these difficult conditions. They suffered from some aquaplaning but it was nothing serious.

"Track conditions changed during the qualifying session and this could have had an effect on the final outcome. Compared with the other drivers who made their runs at the start, we can say that we gained a decisive advantage because of the difference in tyre performance."

Ferrari MD Jean Todt added: "We are confident about the rest of the weekend. We know we have a very good car-engine package and have excellent Bridgestone tyres at our disposal."

Star driver Michael Schumacher, who was outshone by team-mate Rubens Barrichello for once, said: "It was not easy getting used to the track conditions which were so different to this morning's. There was a lot of aquaplaning and therefore it was hard to do a time on just one flying lap. In any case, things went pretty well and it was important to ensure we start towards the end of tomorrow's decisive qualifying session."