Saturday, May 7 2005 19:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Barcelona: After an eventful practice session, Narain Karthikeyan produced a smooth drive in the first qualifying to finish 15th in the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona today (May 7, 2005).

Narain timed 1:18.567 to be 15th quickest ahead of team-mate Tiago Monteiro of Portugal at the Catalunya circuit and seemed satisfied with the performance of Jordan Toyota EJ15 car.

"It has not been my quickest lap since the beginning of the weekend but I am nevertheless still satisfied," India's ace driver said.

"It was a bit difficult to warm up the tyres but then the car balance was ok.

"The race tomorrow (May 8, 2005) will be very exciting, as all drivers know the Circuit de Catalunya quite well and I hope we will finish the race in good position."

Monteiro said, "The car was different to drive compared to today morning, as the track temperature was warmer but I did a good lap."

Today's problem-free drive by the Jordan drivers was in contrast to a slippery performance yesterday (May 6, 2005) when Narain faced handling problems and went off the track.