Malaysia: Both Drivers Unable to Improve
By Jamie Makin
March 20 2005
Team SAUBER PETRONAS drivers Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve will start today’s PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix from 14th and 16th positions respectively after this morning’s final qualifying session.
Today's times were added to those of yesterday's session giving each driver an aggregate time used to set the grid for today's race.
Jacques Villeneuve was unable to change his 16th position after today's lap. "Considering our position yesterday, we decided just to concentrate on our strategy for second qualifying," Villeneuve admitted. "We’re not very fast, but the key today will be to be there at the end of the race."
Massa's 13th yesterday slipped to 14th today as poor setup cost him time on his run. "I had lots of understeer and was quite slow as a result," said Massa. "I hope we will be better in the race, as tyre degradation and an ongoing reduction in fuel load improve the balance again."
Sunday, Qualifying 2 (Aggregate Times):
| Driver | Chassis | Best Time | Position |
| J. Villeneuve | C24-03 | 3:12.995 (+5.323) | 16 |
| F. Massa | C24-02 | 3:11.884 (+4.212) | 14 |
| Spare Car | sC24-01 | - | - |