Force India content despite Q1 exit

Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil had shown upper midfield pace in practice, but will start only 18th and 19th having fallen back in qualifying.

But Fisichella insisted that the result was satisfactory given the team's late launch.

"We knew that it would be difficult today, but considering what we have done so far this year, with the limited pre-season testing, being just two tenths slower than the 2008 world champion is a good result," he said.

"Being so close shows it's already a very challenging season. I had a good lap and I am happy as I have been struggling a bit with the brakes and locking all weekend and I'm not driving as I want.

"But all this considered, there is really good potential in this car so we are looking forward to working it through."

His team-mate Sutil had been as high as ninth in practice, but reckoned other teams must have been running more conservative programmes at the time.

"For sure we were hoping after yesterday's performance to be able to make it into Q2 but in the end it was not possible," he said.

"Things looked better in practice but perhaps the others were not showing all their potential. We know we have plenty to work on, our main problem is that we need a lot more downforce."

The team's chief engineer Dominic Harlow said the result was not representative of what Force India can achieve this season.

"We need a bit more development to really challenge, but given how our programme started late, we've made enormous progress already and we know that there is plenty in the pipeline," he insisted.