Weather conditions wreck teams' plans

Both Michelin and Bridgestone had headed to the event expecting warm temperatures, but a cold Friday and then rain on Saturday morning have wrecked their plans.

The cold track temperatures proved completely unsuitable for both Bridgestone and Michelin's softer option tyre in Friday practice - as they both suffered graining. The tyre's construction was too stiff to get it up to its proper operating temperature.

World champion Fernando Alonso said: "It's very difficult for everybody. We saw a lot of tyre warming on the out laps for everybody and we need to see in practice."

When asked whether he would be able to use the soft tyre at all, he said: "I don't know. It will be difficult decision, but we will see."

Compounding the soft tyre problem, some teams have experienced issues with their harder compound tyre too - with a few complaints that the harder option is also too soft to work well enough on the track.

With the track wet for the start of Saturday morning practice, the teams are unlikely to get a true picture of what is ideal before they need to make their dry tyre choice.

And the rain means the track will not rubber in at all before qualifying - further hampering the team's preparations.

Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn said: "Obviously the tyre performance is influenced by the temperature and we are getting a little more graining on the tyres than we would have done if the temperatures had been higher.

"It may mean paradoxically we may have to pick a harder tyre for Sunday than if the temperatures had been higher.

"The rubber is operating at a different temperature and it grains more. You get this shearing of the rubber on the surface."

Brawn said he was hopeful, however, that Ferrari would not suffer from as bad graining as they suffered in Hungary.

"There will be a little bit but not as severe as Budapest," he said. "We have seen from the two types of tyre that the soft tyre is suffering more because of the temperature issue, rather than being a conventional degradation issue."

Brawn also said he was sure that Bridgestone would be better if it was wet than they were in Hungary - where their tyre choice was unsuitable because the track dried much slower than they had expected.

"I know we will be better than we were in Hungary. That is for sure. But I don't know where it puts us against Michelin.

"We had a particular problem in Hungary. We understood it and we will be a lot better next time we face those conditions."