Villeneuve blames traffic for poor showing

Villeneuve, in the distinctive-looking BMW Sauber with its 'Twin Tower' aerodynamics, topped the timesheets in the final practice session, ahead of German teammate Nick Heidfeld.

But the practice promise failed to materialise in qualifying, with the Canadian having to settle for a disappointing 18th position.

"This was very disappointing because the car is quick," admitted Villeneuve. "After this morning we decided to go aggressively with our tyres for qualifying. We took a risk with the choice but I had traffic on both my laps.

"Starting from the back could really kill our race, but we will still keep working until the end as you never know what happens."

Heidfeld also endured a poor session after the early promise, the German qualifying in 12th position.

Heidfeld added: "The balance of the car was quite good. It often happens that we look very good on Saturday morning, but others make bigger improvements for qualifying in the afternoon. Having said that, my personal expectations were not as high as you would expect."