Kubica, who is two points behind the leaders in the drivers' standings, will certainly want to finish higher up after being hampered by driveshaft and tyre pressure problems.
It used a proprietary magnetic-pulse welding process, for example, to develop a lightweight, one-piece aluminum driveshaft that improves fuel efficiency for both light vehicle and commercial truck customers.
Liuzzi's German team mate Adrian Sutil, who had suffered a driveshaft failure in final practice, qualified 14th but will be demoted five places on the starting grid for an unscheduled gearbox change.