Villeneuve Still Hopeful of Points Finish

Jacques Villeneuve is still hoping for his first points finish of the season despite starting tomorrow's Malaysian Grand Prix from the sixth row of the grid.

The Canadian driver, who retired from the season opening Australian Grand Prix after losing the rear wing of his Honda-powered BAR, set the 13th quickest time today at the Sepang circuit, and despite claiming that they were not quick enough, the 1997 World Champion is confident of scoring some points tomorrow.

"I had a good qualifying lap but I was 13th today because we're not fast enough," Villeneuve said. "We still have some work to do to give us the best chance tomorrow. It's a tough physical race but I've done all the training and I feel prepared. We still have a chance of finishing in the points."

Teammate Oliver Panis endured a nightmare session, the Frenchman completing his first flying lap with only ten minutes remaining after a mechanical problem in his car forced him to drive the spare machine, which was prepared for Villeneuve.

"Today is definitely a day to forget," said Panis. "The morning session was complicated by a repetition of the electronic problems we encountered yesterday, then ten minutes before the qualifying session we found a gearbox oil leak.

"The mechanics made a tremendous effort to prepare the car, but in the end, I had to drive a car that was not set up for me. We have a great deal of work to do and a lot of things to change in the future. Regarding the race, I will have to wait and see what happens in the warm-up before I can make any predictions."