SWITZERLAND STEALS POLE FROM NEW ZEALAND AND GERMANY IN SEPANG

teamcar - A1 Team Switzerland's Neel Jani has sealed pole position for this weekend's Astro A1GP Sepang, Malaysia race, 0.291secs from New Zealand's Jonny Reid. Nineteen-year-old German hotshot Nico Hülkenberg could not match his scorching Friday practice pace and had to settle for the third spot on the grid following the four 15 minute Qualifying sessions.

A1 Team Malaysia was one of only two teams who waited to come out in the first session to try and take advantage of the clear track. The circuit had however become slippery and Yoong could only manage the seventh fastest time. Fast laps in the third and fourth sessions did not improve the position and he starts on the fourth row of the grid behind the Netherlands. "There was still a little bit of dampness when I went out. We took the gamble that it wouldn't rain so we saved our new tyres for the third and fourth sessions. It didn't rain but it got really, really hot and really, really slippery and the first two sessions were definitely the quicker ones. So that caught us out a little bit and I think we would have definitely been higher up if we had gone with the other way, but you can't predict these things as the weather changes so much. The guys on the first two rows are very quick and it is going to be hard to beat them tomorrow. We have certainly got some time to find in the car."

A1 Team Great Britain's Robbie Kerr, driving for the first time since Brno, lines up fourth on the grid. Australia starts 17th after Ryan Briscoe ran wide in the third session into a gravel trap and ripped off his front wing and damaged his front-rear suspension.

The 20-minute Sprint race will start on Sunday 26 November at 11.00 local time. The results of the Sprint race will determine the grid for the 70-minute Feature race, which will begin at 15.00 local time.