Heidfeld hopes that showers will continue

The German might have been 1.8secs slower than pacesetter Rubens Barrichello of Ferrari, but he was 2secs clear of the fourth fastest man, Ralph Firman of Jordan.

"My qualifying lap went well even though it still wasn't optimal," said Heidfeld. "That was not possible under the weather conditions that we encountered. I am very happy about my result, especially as it is not easy to drive with so much water on the track and the car aquaplaning everywhere. I had a very good set-up thanks to my engineers, and now I'm hoping that it rains over the next two days, too."

Team principal Peter Sauber was also delighted with the session, in which his second driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen was seventh.

"Both our drivers were able to achieve very good results," said Sauber. "Heinz's seventh place and, particularly, Nick's third, are a great source of motivation for the whole team. We should also remember that Bridgestone contributed to this good result."