Richards 'optimistic' that Button will race

The BAR team is aiming for points in the Monaco Grand Prix after Jacques Villeneuve put himself 11th on the grid for tomorrow's race.

Speaking about Button's crash this morning team boss David Richard said: "We are all relieved that Jenson wasn't injured in what was a very heavy crash this morning. It's a great tribute to the safety of a modern Formula 1 car and all the work that the FIA has done in this respect over the last few years.

"Jenson is disappointed that he was unable to take part in final qualifying, but we are optimistic that he will be fit and well for the race tomorrow."

Villeneuve struggled early in the weekend, and so was happy with his 11th position in qualifying.

"We were able to do some good set-up work and we've ended up with a car that was competitive in qualifying and race trim, so the day went well," said Villeneuve. "This was roughly where we expected to be, given our strategy, so I'm just looking forward to the race now."

BAR technical director Geoffrey Willis said that the team was hopeful of scoring points in the race. He said: "Jacques was happy with his car this afternoon. We are optimistic that we can look forward to a strong race performance tomorrow and, hopefully, a points-finish."