Electronical problem confirmed for Barbera

For Héctor Barberá, qualifying for the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar quickly became a frustrating exercise as electrical problems struck at the worst possible moment. The Spaniard starts Sunday’s race from 22nd position. Ahead of qualifying, Barberá had at least hoped to be the third fastest CRT rider behind the pair from Power Electronics Aspar, but – after being stranded in the pit lane and only managing a handful of laps in Q1 – he could only claim tenth in class. “So far we have been very competitive and it looked like we could be one of the best in the category, but in Free Practice 4 the bike would not start,” he explained. “I went out with another bike but I could barely tour. Then in Q1 a similar thing happened…it's a shame because after having a good pre-season and having performed well yesterday and Thursday, we were unable to make an impression when it came to the moment of truth. Hopefully we can fix the problem for tomorrow.” Teammate Hiroshi Aoyama of Japan will set off from 17th on the grid.