Webber continues to impress

Fifth fastest time behind the two Ferraris and two Williams, but easily ahead of the two McLarens, puts the Australian driver in a strong position going into Saturday's final qualifying.

"I couldn't have wished for a better start to the weekend," beamed Webber. "Our preparation going into qualifying was very thorough and I'm very pleased with my lap time. The challenge of putting in one quick, trouble-free lap is far from easy and I'm very pleased with the balance and performance of the car."

Head of Vehicle Performance Dr Mark Gillan reported that this strong form was the result of much hard work: "We did a lot of homework in the week leading up to this race, and we've gone a long way towards solving our fuel pick-up problem. So today was the first time that we've gone into qualifying on an equal footing with the other teams. The fact that Mark has gone fifth fastest is the clearest indication yet of the improved direction that we're taking, albeit we still have a long way to go before we're completely happy."

Antonio Pizzonia lapped 15th fastest in the team's T-car, his lap of 1m22.919s precisely 1.250s slower than Webber's best.