Terrible start to weekend for Jaguar

Problems started in private testing, when Webber ran off the track and damaged his R4, causing him to miss most of the following free practice. Pizzonia also hit trouble when his front wing broke, but that was nothing compared to qualifying, when he missed his slot as his Cosworth engine refused to start. Fuel pick-up problems affected both cars throughout the day.

The team's Head of Vehicle Performance, Mark Gillan, said: "A frustrating day but we'll re-group and focus our attentions on the weekend ahead. The fuel pick-up problem is not something we experienced during winter testing or at the last race in Melbourne. This issue affected both drivers all day and going into qualifying, we took some precautionary measures against this.

"It is unclear as to why at this stage, but for some inexplicable reason, we couldn't start Antonio's car. By the time it started and Antonio had made his way up the pit lane, the red light came on and Antonio had missed his slot. Naturally, we are all very disappointed - particularly as Antonio had generated enough decent mileage in the lead-up to qualifying to have done a good job."

Webber was 16th fastest in qualifying, but again said the fuel pressure problem cost him time.