Malaysian GP: Jaguar Saturday qualifying notes

Jaguar Racing drivers Mark Webber and Antonio Pizzonia faired better in qualifying today as the second phase got underway at an ever-hotter Sepang circuit. A track temperature of 52-degrees Celsius greeted Antonio as the first driver on the track. Having missed his qualifying slot yesterday because of a fuel pick-up issue, Antonio's qualifying lap put him into 15th position on the grid for tomorrow's race with Mark Webber less than a tenth of a second behind him in 16th position. The fuel pick-up problem that hampered the team's progress yesterday was corrected in time for qualifying with a short-term measure -- something the team hopes will carry through to the end of the race tomorrow.

Dr Mark Gillan - Head of Vehicle Performance

"We are quite pleased given the frustrating issues we have suffered here all weekend. Both Mark and Antonio did a good job out there. In Antonio's case, it was particularly impressive given his lack of experience on this circuit and because he was also the first man out today, he held his composure well. We obviously have a clear strategy in mind going into tomorrow's race and given the pace of our cars today, we are quite encouraged. You only need look at the sector times and they speak for themselves. Mark's sector two time is only a tenth slower than the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher and unlike yesterday, we suffered no fuel pick-up problems."

"The team worked till very late last night in an effort to find an interim solution to the fuel pick-up problem and we believe we have one. Back at the factory, however, the guys are already on the case with a view to finding a proper fix prior to the Brazilian Grand Prix. Either way, we are in pleasing shape for tomorrow and coupled with the strength of the Michelin tyre over a race distance, our aim is to cross the finishing line with both cars. We have optimised our strategy for tomorrow and unlike yesterday, we have successfully completed the first phase of that today."

Antonio Pizzonia:

"Given the problems that I suffered during qualifying in Melbourne and not getting a run yesterday, I am very pleased to have bagged my first clean qualifying lap for Jaguar. It wasn't ideal being the first driver on the track, particularly as it was quite dirty in places. Compared to this morning, the track was also much hotter and this made it slower. Nonetheless, I wanted to complete a clean lap and didn't aim for anything too special. I didn't make any mistakes during my run but it was a little conservative."

"I wanted to do a good job and given our strategy for tomorrow's race, it was very important not to make any silly mistakes through over-exuberance. The car felt pretty good throughout the lap but let's now see what happens in the race tomorrow. The fuel pick-up problem we suffered from yesterday bit this morning a few times during the warm-up sessions but the guys seem to have found a short-term fix which I hope keeps us going through to the chequered flag tomorrow."

Mark Webber:

"A day of mixed emotions for me. I was very pleased with how my qualifying lap was going up until the final hairpin where I lost around three-tenths of a second. It's a shame but I'll just have to push that much harder tomorrow. The team have done an admirable job over the past 24 hours given the problems we had but there is still a race distance to get through tomorrow, albeit a very tough race indeed given the extreme heat and humidity. The Jaguar R4 was quite well balanced today and this makes my final lap time all the more disappointing when you look at my sector one and sector two times. Nonetheless, it is pleasing to be alongside my team-mate for tomorrow's race and as was the case in Melbourne, our strategy should, I hope, stand us in reasonably good stead over the race. It's all to play for."

Antonio Pizzonia
Position: 15th
Best time: 1:38.516
Chassis: R4-03
T-Car: R4-02

Mark Webber
Position: 16th
Best time: 1:38.624
Chassis: R4-01

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