Toyota surprised by qualifying showing

The team put on a strong showing at the Barcelona circuit, with German driver Ralf Schumacher posting the sixth quickest time and teammate Jarno Trulli taking seventh position.

And with Vasselon claiming they have a sound strategy for the race, the Frenchman is optimistic the Cologne-based outfit could enjoy a strong race.

"Qualifying went better than we expected," admitted Vasselon. "This morning we decided to stay on used tyres so it was difficult to say exactly how we would fare on new rubber this afternoon.

"We were still confident we'd make the top ten and we managed that. The drivers started just 10-12 seconds before the end but you have to push to the limit.

"So it has to be tight and everything went according to plan. The Bridgestone tyres were strong and the two drivers did a very good job. Some other teams opted for two runs at the end of Session 3 and it's obviously something we considered, but our drivers feel very confident with just one outing.

"Now we can look forward to the race tomorrow. We have a sound strategy so let's see what happens."