Tarquini maintains hope despite crash

The Italian will start Sunday's opening race from eighth on the grid after clipping the barriers and breaking his SEAT's suspension 15 minutes before the end of the session.

Championship rival and SEAT teammate Yvan Muller will start third and has a 14-point lead, but Tarquini insisted that while his job has now become harder, he is still in with a chance.

"Before, I had a small chance to win the title, now it is smaller again," he said. "But you never say never, especially at a track like Macau. Anything can happen, right down to the last corner.

"Hoping doesn't cost you anything. I'll try to be as fast as possible and we'll see what the result is on Sunday night."

The crash happened at the top of the circuit through the fast Esses section, and according to Tarquini it was a simple matter of driver error.

"I was too optimistic under braking. I locked the front tyres and touched the barrier with the front right, and the suspension broke," he said.

"It's unfortunate because the car was very good - my first run was very good, my best time was in the first few minutes on the track, which is not normally when you get the best from the track. I tried to do my best, but it was my mistake."