Rosberg says he could have done better after qualifying in seventh position

The German driver will start the race from seventh position, but he said he felt he could have done better had he managed to get his tyres to the right temperature for his last run.

Rosberg said the lower track temperatures and traffic did not help his cause either.

"We didn't quite get the maximum from our qualifying session today which was a shame," said Rosberg. "The track temperatures dropped during the session and it became more difficult to get the tyres working.

"On my second run in Q3, I had too much traffic in front of me to warm the tyres up sufficiently and that hurt me on the quick lap, otherwise I think we could have been further ahead. However I'm on the good side of the grid and it should be a fun race tomorrow."

Team-mate Michael Schumacher qualified in eighth position - albeit nearly a second behind Rosberg - and the seven-time champion admitted there was not much more he could have done.

"It was quite a tight qualifying today," Schumacher said. "I aborted my last lap in Q1 to save tyres, and having some fresh tyres left is the good news from Q3 as well. Overall it was a normal qualifying where we would probably not have much more in the pocket.

"I also expect a straightforward race and we will try to make the most out of opportunities that arise. The tyres should not be a big issue here, and we tested their behaviour in P2 yesterday which took place at the same time as the race. The fact that the track temperatures will drop during the race might be good for us as we struggle a bit with the tyre temperatures here."