Pizzonia eager to break victory duck

Poles at Magny-Cours and Donington haven't led to Corinthians' first victory in the high-powered single-seater championship, and the ex-F1 driver is gunning to set his record straight.

"I'm really happy to have my third pole from four races, but I need to put it all together tomorrow and get that first win," said the Brazilian. "I knew qualifying was going to be close, but I didn't really expect to get pole, so it was a nice surprise."

Pizzonia beat Argentinian rival Esteban Guerrieri (Olympiacos) to the top spot - adding further intrigue to the clash between Brazil and Argentina in a World Cup football qualifier tonight.

"We were talking about it earlier and I've already been making bets with him," added Pizzonia. "It's always an interesting game between these two countries. Although they have home advantage, I think Brazil can still beat them."

Guerrieri was happy with second on the grid for his first race with the GU-run Olympiacos team, having previously raced for Al Ain and Sevilla this year with different outfits.

"I was confident coming here that the team had a good car," he said. "It means I can compare data with Max [Wissel, of FC Basel] and we're very close in terms of pace.

"I was happy to get into the final today, even if I missed out on pole, but I'm confident we have a good car on used tyres, and that is going to be important in the races."