Jaguar pleased with progress

As with the other teams using Michelin tyres, the drivers enjoyed a strong performance from the French company's rubber, with Webber's flying lap of 1m16.237s putting him just 0.4s behind Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari. Pizzonia's qualifying lap took 1m17.103s.

"It was a productive day that started with me completing a good number of laps in the morning sessions, working on race set-up and tyres" reported Webber. "The team has done a thorough job on the car's preparation both here this weekend and prior to it at the factory, so we're pleased that the hard work is paying off and all three cars remain intact with 100% reliability. Being in the top 10 is encouraging and, given our strategy, I'm confident that we can aim for points. Strategy here is so important and looking at the times I'm sure that there are a few interesting strategies out there in front of us."

Pizzonia added: "The circuit is notoriously tight and, as we have seen this weekend, mistakes can be easily made and are very costly. So, the team and I are pleased that we have suffered no issues on the car despite clocking up a high number of laps. On top of that, I'm pleased with my qualifying lap."

Dr Mark Gillan, Head of Vehicle Performance, said: "We completed a race this morning in terms of the number of laps that both Mark and Antonio achieved together and that is encouraging going into tomorrow's race. Last year, this was a difficult race for us and it's testament to the teamwork both on and off the track."