Qualifying quotes from the top three

"The first and last sections were pretty much dry, and the mid one was a bit damp, but it was a good run.

"It was good timing from my engineers over when to go out, although we wanted to go sooner. We were making a last minute changes which meant we went out in the pack."

Michael Schumacher grabbed second place with a brave lap near the end of the session. "It was a lucky moment for us," admitted the German driver. "The circuit was just dry enough for us to improve, but I wasn't expecting to go faster, so I'm very happy with that."

Giancarlo Fisichella will start from third in the Benetton despite spinning off when the track was at its driest. "I didn't expect to be here after I spun off," he said. "I ran back and jumped in the T-car, but it's difficult to jump in a spare and go, and the gear ratios were not perfect either. But we went just at the right moment. I was quite confident we would be in the first six or eight, so third is very good.

"I hope to keep it in the race, and get to the podium."