Happy Firman Hoping for Dry Saturday

Briton Ralph Firman is hoping for dry weather tomorrow after posting the third fastest time in first qualifying for the French Grand Prix at the Magny-Cours track.

The Jordan rookie, on his first visit to the French circuit, was one of several drivers who took advantage of a drying track in the final part of the session to post a quicker time than those of the Championship's top runners.

Briton Firman set his time despite running wide into the gravel and flying high over a kerb.

"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.

"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."

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella finished in 13th position, having to run in the wet, but he is hoping for another wet session tomorrow.

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