Renault looking for victory

The French team has introduced a raft of aerodynamic developments for this weekend - enough for the squad to title its car the R23B - and the Italian made the most of them in qualifying, with his time of 1m21.381s just 0.172s slower than pole-sitter Rubens Barrichello.

"A superb result for Jarno," said Gascoyne. "He had struggled this weekend, but worked hard together with his engineers to get the car right, and they made a good tyre choice. He then drove a fantastic lap. It's a very good result, we are on the right strategy, and we are looking to win the race tomorrow."

Trulli said that he couldn't believe he would start the race from the front-row. "When I crossed the line at the end of my flying lap, my engineer told me I was second: I couldn't believe it," he said. "This is a fantastic result for myself and the team, especially as this is the home race for the guys from Enstone. We're in a strong position for tomorrow, but of course, it is only on Sunday that you score the points."

Team-mate Fernando Alonso couldn't match his team-mates speed, and a lack of grip on his run limited him to eighth on the grid. The Spaniard was unsure whether it was his tyre choice (different from his team-mates) or a change in the conditions that slowed him, but he remained upbeat. He said: "The race tomorrow is a long one and, starting eighth, I am in a good position to score good points."