Singapore - Formula One championship leader Jenson Button on Saturday said he was frustrated with his team's performance in qualifying for Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, but he still hoped to get some chances in the night race on the narrow street circuit. "There is still a lot we can do tomorrow, but it's frustrating," said Button who was eliminated in the second round of qualifying and will start in 12th place, two places behind teammate Rubens Barrichello.
The Brazilian posted the fifth-fastest time, but will start from tenth after incurring a five-place penalty for a gearbox change.
The final qualifying session was cut short after Barrichello crashed close to the end.
"We got to have a good first lap, otherwise we will be stopped by slower cars," said Button. "Then, I think, our race pace will be very good."
"This is a circuit where we thought we were very quick, but in qualifying we haven't shown that," said the Briton, who leads the championship with 80 points, followed by Barrichello with 66 points.
"We made it very difficult for ourselves," said Button.
Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, who will start from second and fourth, respectively, "still have the chance of challenging us in the championship," he said.
Vettel is currently third in the ranking with 54 points, Webber has 51.5 points.
Barrichello said the night race on Singapore's street circuit could be very open as "there could be some yellow flags, some safety cars."
"I'm still quite confident," said the veteran driver.
Team principal Ross Brawn said the qualifying had been frustrating.
"The only thing is, this is going to be quite an eventful race," he said.
