Fisichella Downbeat after Troubled Qualifying

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was downbeat after a disappointing qualifying performance at the San Marino Grand Prix on Saturday.

The Jordan driver continued with his streak of bad results this season after being hampered by a hydraulic failure in his Honda-powered EJ12 which forced him to switch to the spare car to complete all his flying laps.

After setting a sensational third fastest time in yesterday's practice, the local hero was not pleased at all with his 15th position on the grid.

"It was very disappointing because I had hoped to qualify a lot better," said Fisichella, who was outqualified by teammate Takuma Sato. "I think I was at the limit of the performance of the T-car, and with my race car I am sure I would have been higher up, but we'll never know.

"I just need to concentrate on the race, which I want to finish and if possible score points."

Japanese Sato qualified ahead of Fisichella for the first time in his rookie year, putting his Jordan in 14th position.

"The qualifying position is naturally disappointing but I must say that I feel satisfied with my performance as I honestly feel I did all we could do today," he said. "The fact is we need to push hard to improve our competitiveness."