BMW: Heidfeld and Kubica in the top 10 in qualifying in Singapore

The two BMWs both entered the top 10 in qualifying in Singapore but Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica expected something more than eighth and ninth positions on the grid. The Hinwil duo was in fact conditioned, like other drivers fighting for pole, by Rubens Barrichello's accident.

Nick Heidfeld (eighth, Q3 – 1m 49.307s):
"Although it might seem nice to be in the top 10 again, since we have had worse results this season, I'm really disappointed. The car has improved and everything went well in Q1 and Q2. But in Q3 I didn't have I was able to take advantage of the soft tires due to the red flag. I had just started my fastest lap and from the first corners it was clear that it would be a huge improvement for me, but then Rubens Barrichello crashed and the session was interrupted. In hindsight it would have been better to use the softer tires earlier, but of course you don't want to sacrifice the advantage of the best track in the last minutes of the session. Simple bad luck"

Robert Kubica (ninth, Q3 – 1m 49.514s):
"Of course our qualifying performance was affected by the red flag caused by Rubens Barrichello's crash. I think most drivers find themselves in a similar situation. We used the harder compound in our first run in Q3. This cost us a lot of lap time – the "prime" tires were about two tenths slower in just the first two corners compared to the softer compound. It will be a very difficult race tomorrow. The track is very demanding. It requires a lot of traction and stability when braking. The circuit is also very demanding physically as there are many corners and you are always fighting with the car. Tomorrow a lot will depend on the degradation of the tires and possible overheating" .