Villeneuve won't rule out points finish

The Canadian qualified 13th at the Sepang track, but will rely on the possibility of a high attrition rate to get into the top six during the race.

Villeneuve said: "I had a good qualifying lap, but I was 13th today because we're not fast enough. 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."

His team-mate Olivier Panis suffered a disasterous session and will line up 18th.

Ten minutes before the start of the session a gearbox oil leak was discovered on the Frenchman's car. The team worked to fix it, but after one lap, Panis realised he would have to switch to the T-car. But the chassis was set up for Villeneuve and he had to qualify a car not to his liking.

"Today is definitely a day to forget," he groaned.

Team boss David Richards said: "Jacques did a very good job and extracted the maximum he could from the car, but we have to accept that this is where we are today. Olivier had a very frustrating session which resulted in him setting his time in the T-car, which was set up for Jacques. We must now focus on making the cars as reliable as possible for tomorrow, and in no small measure, we depend on the fitness of both our drivers in what will be a very hot and demanding race."