Verstappen Delighted with 'Excellent' Lap

Dutchman Jos Verstappen was pleased with his qualifying performance ahead of tomorrow's Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

"It was an excellent qualifying lap from where I sat â€" it was a better time than I set in cooler conditions this morning," said the Minardi driver after posting the 17th quickest time of the day. "The car felt good and I was able to push hard. It was definitely one of my better laps this year, so we're still learning.

"I'm very happy with what we have done today, and hopefully the strong performance will continue tomorrow."

Verstappen, whose team are the only one yet to score a point this season, outqualified his Danish teammate Nicolas Kiesa by over two seconds. The rookie almost went out of the track on his flying lap, and although he was able to complete it his time was disappointing and had to settle for 19th position.

"Coming into Turn 1, the braking power felt good, and as a result, I ended up braking too soon and lost time," said Kiesa. "It was early in the lap, so I knew I had to push hard to see if I could regain some of the time. I had a good middle sector and then, coming into Ascari, I had the car positioned perfectly for a good exit.

"So far during the weekend, I have gone through there with 97 or 98 per cent throttle applied in fourth gear, but as it was qualifying and I needed to go for the best possible time, I tried 100 per cent. Unfortunately, on the way out of the corner, the rear stepped out and the car started to slide.

"I caught it, and didn't lose too much time as a result, but then I was slower down the next straight. Anyway, qualifying is all about taking chances, and I had to take a chance. If it had worked, I would have liked to see the time."