The weather played an integral role in qualifying at the Shanghai International Circuit, with Super Aguri F1's Takuma Sato experiencing difficult track conditions as low cloud and high humidity added to an already heavy atmosphere following overnight rain. Nevertheless, Taku set the 16th fastest time of the morning, but was a victim of the first part of qualifying as the weather continued to make for hazardous driving conditions.

　 "It was a difficult day for everyone in tricky conditions. During this morning’s practice session, I tested wet and dry tyres, but we were not comfortable with the evaluation of the wets. It was important that we completed the test though as, in the end, we had to qualify in the rain. At the end of session, we also tested the dry tyre options and completed a few timed laps, which was good because I missed most of the running yesterday. Qualifying was like a lottery, with changing weather and track conditions, which made it difficult to pick the right running time, and also a red flag situation. I am taking an engine change penalty on the grid anyway, but, wet or dry, I believe that we are ready for the race tomorrow."

　 The Super Aguri F1 team finished the opening day of the Chinese Grand Prix in mixed spirits, with Franck Montagny season-high seventh position marred by mechanical issues that limited running for both Takuma Sato and Sakon Yamamoto.

　 "Unfortunately, today my running was very limited due to a gearbox problem. It seems that, on every outing, I suffered some related issue and so I couldn't evaluate the car set-up much. This morning, the car worked well straight away but, this afternoon, I only completed a few laps, so it was not a very good day. The session tomorrow morning will therefore be extremely important, so let's hope we have a better day tomorrow."