Firman thanks team but rues mistake

Firman used dry weather tyres for his run, and was on for a stunning lap time when he slid wide on the exit of the high-speed Imola sequence of bends, the car becoming briefly airborne as it bounced over the kerbs.

"The team made a good call on tyres," said Firman. "I was trying to be cautious at certain parts of the circuit but it was difficult and I made a big mistake which is frustrating, but it's great to be third [now second]. It's my first time here and I need a lot more laps in the dry tomorrow to get the hang of the circuit as it's quite technical."

Team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella had starred in the morning session, but his single lap effort in the afternoon wasn't as quick as he hoped for, and he was only 12th fastest.

"We did our best with intermediate tyres when the circuit might still have been a bit too wet," he said. "Today is important but nothing like Saturday, so I hope we have more consistent conditions tomorrow. I wouldn't mind if it's still wet."