Kovalainen not underestimating Toro Rosso

The Finn will start second behind STR's Sebastian Vettel, and with teammate Lewis Hamilton having to fight his way from 15th on the grid should have a clear run at victory.

"It's a good opportunity and we are there to fight for a victory," said Kovalainen. "But we should never underestimate what Toro Rosso has done this year. If you look at their pace in the last few races, especially in qualifying, they have been seriously fast.

"Looking at Valencia, for example, they were competitive in the race so we can't take anything for granted."

Kovalainen, who has shown good pace throughout the weekend, also admitted that he was a little disappointed to have missed out on pole position despite his closest big-name challenger being Ferrari's Felipe Massa back on the third row of the grid.

"I feel very confident after practice and qualifying," he said. "OK, we didn't quite manage to nail pole position but we are still in a good position. It's not going to be easy - but the only target for me is to win the race.

"It's fair to say that I felt very comfortable from the first lap in the first session. The tyres were working fine, the brakes were working fine and they are crucial in these kinds of conditions. If you miss the window when you don't get the brakes and tyres up to temperature it gets very tricky.

"But it all went pretty well for me and gives me good confidence. Any weather is fine for me."