I'm disappointed, says Gil de Ferran.

After a great start to the season the Marlboro Team Penske duo of Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves did not perform to expectation during qualifying to the Yamaha Indy 400.

Sitting 13th and 16th on the grid respectively, both will need to run reliably and fast during the race if they are to pick up valuable championship points tomorrow.

"Fundamentally I'm disappointed with our qualifying run," said de Ferran, 2001 CART Champion. "The car is good but we're not getting enough speed out of it. I was flat the whole way around and the car is totally trimmed out, but we haven't been able to get that extra half a mile per hour that would put us in the top-six.

"The Marlboro car should be good for the race. We're going to try to run with some of the guys this afternoon and see how we do in traffic. No one really knows what to expect tomorrow. I'm thinking this race should be somewhere in between a race like Indianapolis and Texas."

""We knew we wouldn't have a fast car today - I was flat out all the way, we just didn't have the speed." Castroneves explained downheartedly. "We weren't as quick this morning as we were yesterday, but I think that's mostly because there's no one to draft with during qualifying.

"It doesn't matter where you start, because it's such a long race. With a 400-mile event, you can win from anywhere on the grid. Obviously it will be difficult, but it's certainly possible. There'll be guys out there trying to get to the front early and wearing out their equipment, so it's important that we stay patient and make sure we're there at the finish. Marlboro Team Penske has been working hard all weekend and hopefully we'll have what it takes tomorrow."