Sutil to start 11th, Di Resta 12th on grid for Japan race

Both Sutil and Di Resta said they were satisfied with the qualifying results and would be gunning for points in the race tomorrow.

"Overall I think today's qualifying session went pretty well. I was a little bit disappointed to miss Q3 because we were not too far away from it, but everybody knows P11 is a very good place to start, especially because of the free choice of tyres for tomorrow," said Sutil.

"I was happy with my laps and I don't think I could have found much more. Also, we opted to do just one run on the soft tyres in Q2, which means I have a fresh set available for the race. So I think we can make the strategy work tomorrow and have a good race," he added.

Di Resta said he has found it tough to adjust to the fast track here but is hoping for everything to fall in place tomorrow.

"Given the weekend we've had I'm pretty happy to be starting P12 – just a place behind Adrian. I've struggled to get fully up to speed here and find the ideal balance, which is why we've opted for a set-up more suited to the race," he said.

"Hopefully that will pay off tomorrow because I think tyre wear is going to be a major factor in this race. Also, I'm feeling a bit under the weather today with a sore throat, so I'm pleased to come away with a starting position that should allow us to fight for points," he added.