Sauber Duo Hit by Mechanical Problems

Finn Kimi Raikkonen and German Nick Heidfeld endured a disappointing qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix after mechanical problems hit their Sauber cars in the dying moments of the session.

Rookie Raikkonen, who finished more than eleven seconds off the pace in this morning's practice session after a problem hampered his progress, was unable to complete his final run in the hour-long session, just when the circuit was quickly drying up and everyone was improving.

As a consequence, Raikkonen had to settle for twelfth position almost seven seconds behind pole setter Juan Pablo Montoya. The Finn was unhappy with the performance.

"I had the same problem as Nick this morning, but this afternoon things were looking good once we had cured a small brake problem on my car," Raikkonen said. "Then the transmission trouble came back and prevented me from completing my last run. It's disappointing, naturally, because we could have been very competitive here."

Teammate Heidfeld was also hit by problems in the final minutes of the session, and when he was about to start his final attempt his Sauber stopped at the Stavelot corner. The young German finished the day in fourteenth place, completing a tough day for the Swiss team.

"Like everyone else I lost track time this morning because of the weather delays, but then the car developed a problem with fifth gear refusing to stay in engagement," he said.

"Nevertheless, despite the loss of set-up time the car felt very good this afternoon and I was feeling optimistic until the problem recurred and I had to stop at Stavelot."