Williams expecting tough race

"It wasn't the qualifying result I was expecting at all," said a disappointed Montoya. "It was especially frustrating because I was in third position in the closing stages and then lost it by one thousandth of a second to David Coulthard.

"Tomorrow I am starting the race from the dirty side of the track and this is not helpful. I think at the moment we just haven't got the speed to beat Ferrari."

Team-mate Schumacher echoed the Colombian's sentiments despite improving from sixth to fifth on the grid with a late run.

"It is going to be a very difficult race for us tomorrow, " said Schumacher. "It is very difficult to find the right balance for the car and I had continuous set-up problems, although the tyres were alright and they are looking quite good for tomorrow."

BMW motorsport boss Gerhard Berger insisted that the team's priority it to outscore McLaren in their bid to take second place in the team standings.

"The most important factor for us is getting both cars to the finish and scoring points," said Berger. "We need to secure our second place in the Contructors' Championship."