Verstappen Hails 'Fantastic' Lap

Dutchman Jos Verstappen will start from a season best 15th position after a promising performance from his Minardi team in final qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix.

"It was a fantastic lap, like the one in Monaco two weeks ago," said a delighted Verstappen. "We had some difficulties with the car in the wet this morning, and I certainly preferred that we had dry conditions for qualifying this afternoon.

"I'd like to thank the mechanics, as they did a great job with all the changes we made to the car today. The qualifying lap was a good one, with no mistakes, and I'm very pleased with the time."

Verstappen, whose Minardi team are the only ones yet to score a point this year, outqualified his teammate Justin Wilson, who completed a good day for the Anglo-Italian squad by avoiding the final row of the grid.

"It was a pretty clean lap," said Wilson. "I had a bit of a moment halfway round when the car hit a damp patch, but I was generally happy with my qualifying run this afternoon. The two hours of testing on Friday, which took place in dry conditions, may have helped us today, as I certainly know the circuit better than I otherwise would have."