Jacques: I hope radio problem is sorted

Both BAR drivers appeared on course for points scoring finishes in Australia when they pitted simultaneously after a mix-up over who should stop on that lap. Villeneuve blamed the car's two-way radio to the pits for him coming in on what should have been team-mate Jenson Button's lap to stop, which effectively ruined both of their races.

"Hopefully our radio problems will be fixed by Malaysia, as this was one of our problems in Australia," said Villeneuve. "Radio communication is very important and will be a major factor in our next race.

"Our race in Australia was a disappointment. We were quite competitive throughout the weekend, but due to the lack of laps it didn't allow us to do our homework properly in preparation for the race, particularly where our tyres were concerned. So we were unable to carry our competitiveness through to the race and fight for a podium finish," he added.

Villeneuve has also pointed out that it is too early to judge the success or otherwise of the new qualifying and parc ferme regulations after the topsy-turvy Australian GP.

"I don't think that you can really judge how effective the new regulations were in the race in Australia," he said. "Qualifying was definitely exciting on both days, but the weather conditions made the race, which affected tyre choices. I think we will have to wait until Malaysia to see the full effect of the regulations."