Preview: De Ferran gunning for title

De Ferran leads his main championship rival Kenny Brack by 26 points heading into Sunday's race and with another 22 up for grabs in Australia, the Penske ace could have it all in the bag come the end of the weekend.

However, the leading pair failed to set a time during Friday's running after heavy rain blighted both practice sessions, leaving them with it all to do during qualifying on Saturday. Nevertheless, de Ferran is quietly optimistic.

"This race will be of vital importance in the outcome of the championship," said de Ferran. "The situation is looking relatively good for us, but it's not decided by any means. Heading into Australia last year, we were also in a good position, but didn't get through the first corner. Hopefully, we'll be more successful this year."

Brack, meanwhile, is philosophical about losing valuable practice time on Friday. The Swede is the opposite of his rival and has taken all of his four wins this year on ovals. His road course record has not held a torch to de Ferran, but Brack is hoping that a horsepower advantage will help him this weekend.

"This is the same thing as last year, raining on the first day," said Brack. "It's not the end of the world. It's the same for everybody and maybe it gains us something in the end. Who knows? We'll see tomorrow how we run. I think these long straightaways should be good for our Ford engine and Ford's horse power will be an advantage here."

De Ferran's Penske team mate Helio Castroneves is still an outside bet in the title race, trailing Brack by 12 points in third place.

"It isn't over until it's over, and I'm still one of three drivers with a chance at winning the championship, so it's imperative we perform well here," he said. "Traffic will be crucial tomorrow morning [during qualifying], but hopefully we'll have good weather."