WilliamsF1 & Bridgestone on 2nd row for Malaysia

Formula 1 rookie Nico Rosberg and his WilliamsF1 team-mate, Mark Webber, will line up on the second row of the grid for tomorrow's 56-lap Malaysian Grand Prix after an impressively consistent qualifying display this afternoon which saw them set the third and fifth fastest times respectively in the final shoot-out. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher was fourth fastest but both he and his team-mate, Felipe Massa, have been blighted by engine problems this weekend, both
receiving grid penalties. The Toyota team has also had its fair share of problems this weekend but is undoubtedly looking stronger than in Bahrain. For MF1 Racing and Super Aguri it was a tough qualifying with neither making it into the second session but they too will be looking for a strong race tomorrow.

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager - Bridgestone Motorsport, said: "Three cars in the top five is a very promising start to the weekend and is a good indication that the Bridgestone teams will be strong tomorrow. The drivers experienced extremely hot conditions, particularly in the third part of the qualifying session, but the tyres worked well in these tough conditions. Congratulations to Nico Rosberg, who will line up on the second row of the grid - and to his team-mate, Mark Webber, who will actually line up alongside him. The Ferrari pair will be strong tomorrow but have had to contend with engine penalties so will have a hard race. The Toyota pair has been looking stronger this weekend. Ralf Schumacher was unfortunate to end his qualifying with an engine failure but I think he had the potential to be up with the other Bridgestone runners. All in all, we are happy with the performance of the Bridgestone tyres and the outcome of qualifying."

Bridgestone Team News:
Sam Michael, Technical Director - WilliamsF1, said: "A fantastic qualifying performance with both cars on the second row in only our second GP with our new partners - Cosworth and Bridgestone. Nico is in the top three in his second ever GP. We had slightly different strategies for Mark and Nico in qualifying in terms of tyre use and should be strong in the race tomorrow based on the lap times from our long runs in practice. The tyres have been solid all week-end,
Bridgestone has done a great job and I think we can be strong enough to win tomorrow."

Ross Brawn, Technical Director - Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, said: "Obviously today is frustrating given the problems we have at the moment. We will get over them but it's disappointing ahead of the Australian GP. The car seems good and considering our chosen strategy due to the grid penalties Michael's time is a good one. The tyres are consistent and it looks as if the Bridgestone runners will be competitive here. We shall be looking to consolidate and get some points."