Kubica says flags ruined his qualifying

Qualifying was stopped three times due to accidents and the final seconds of Q2 were disrupted by a yellow flag following a crash by Sebastien Buemi.

BMW Sauber driver Kubica finished down in 13th position after being unable to complete a proper run.

"My qualifying was totally disappointing," said Kubica. "All my flying laps in the second session were destroyed by red or yellow flags. In the entire fifteen minutes we were not able to do one quick timed lap.

"Qualifying for tomorrow's race in 13th is far from ideal. Suzuka is a fantastic track but overtaking isn't too easy here. It is how it is. I hope Timo is okay. I wish him all the best."

Team-mate Nick Heidfeld enjoyed a more positive day after qualifying in sixth position, although the German admitted he also lost time with the yellow flags.

"I'm happy with my qualifying performance," he said. "I had a really good lap in Q3. I wasn't too optimistic for qualifying because in free practice this morning I struggled a bit with the set-up and had to go for a compromise.

"In Q2 I saw the yellow flags and lifted my foot off the pedal and raised an arm to indicate I had reduced speed where I was required to. I was a couple of tenths slower. Obviously it was a very strange qualifying. I have never known one before with so many accidents and I hope Timo is okay."