Fisichella Hoping for Wet Race

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella says he is hoping for a wet United States Grand Prix after struggling for pace in final qualifying.

The Jordan driver said he had compromised his qualifying speed to have a better set-up for the wet in case it rains tomorrow. Fisichella, in his penultimate race with the Silverstone-based outfit, qualified in 17th position.

"This morning I had a problem with the gearbox and didn't get enough laps done so the car was not good in terms of set-up today," said Fisichella. "Grip is poor and the set-up we have chosen is more suited for wet conditions in case tomorrow is wet, which is what I'm hoping for."

Fisichella's teammate Ralph Firman, returning to competitive action after missing the last two races, finished right behind the Italian.

"We have been struggling for the ultimate lap time today but that's just where we are with the car, we have problems with grip, and we're struggling with balance and the lower downforce set-up," said Firman. "There is a lot of oversteer on turn-in and understeer through the long corners, it's a bit of everything really.

"I had a pretty good lap with no mistakes, and did the best I could under the circumstances. Unless it rains I think we might struggle to score any points, but it's been pretty showery the last few days so we may get lucky."