Mechanical Problem to Blame for Heidfeld's Spin

Nick Heidfeld's chances of scoring points at his home Grand Prix tomorrow suffered a blow in final qualifying for the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.

The German driver will start the race from the back of the grid after failing to set a time in today's grid-deciding session. Heidfeld spun his car at the first corner during his flying lap, his car coming to a halt due to a problem with the gearbox.

"I have to say a big 'thank you' to my crew after they changed the engine in very little time just before the qualifying session. That was a fantastic achievement," said Heidfeld after the session.

"Unfortunately, I then suffered from a technical problem with the downshift while braking for the first corner, so I didn't have a chance to make it."

The Sauber team endured a troubled day, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen also suffering problems before qualifying. The German was forced to use the spare car for the session and finished in a disappointing 15th position.

"I had to change to the T-car just before the qualifying," said the German. "We didn't have the chance to set it up properly and I had quite a lot of understeer. But with my result we are not far away from our target for tomorrow. It's a shame for Nick. I wish we had two T-cars available."