http://www.itv-f1.com/news/news_story/19996
SCHUMACHER BLASTS TO MELBOURNE POLE
Last Updated: Saturday, 06 March , 2004, 06:00
Michael Schumacher obliterated his own lap record to clinch pole position for the Australian GP.
After being edged out by Juan Pablo Montoya in first qualifying, the German bounced back with a vengeance when it really counted.
Rubens Barrichello made it an all-Ferrari front row, putting the world champions in an incredibly strong position for race day.
Although Montoya briefly threatened before being forced to settle for third, the challenge from the rest of the leading runners largely failed to materialise.
Ralf Schumacher could do no better than eighth spot while McLaren had a dismal session with Kimi Raikkonen 10th and David Coulthard 12th.
Coulthard's one-lap qualifying hoodoo struck again when he went wide at the last corner. The front of his car momentarily became airborne and it is unlikely that the underside will have escaped damage, which will impair his race performance.
And that wasn't the only bad news for DC as an inspired Jenson Button served notice that the Scot's spell as top Brit may be coming to an end.
Button produced a storming lap to clinch fourth place on the grid, setting exactly the same time as Montoya to a thousandth of a second.
With team-mate Takuma Sato seventh, it was clear for all to see that BAR have made huge strides this season.
The Japanese enjoyed a spell at the top of the timesheets midway through the session before Mark Webber sent the Aussie crowd into raptures by going briefly fastest.
It was the Jaguar driver's misfortune that Barrichello was next out on the track. Not unexpectedly, the Ferrari man made short work of Webber's benchmark, and it took a special lap from team-mate Michael Schumacher to topple him.
It may have been a good day for Italy's national team but the country's leading drivers fared less well.
Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella were both comprehensively outpaced by their team-mates. Fisi in particular put in an uncharacteristically messy lap, running wide twice.
Amazingly, no fewer than three of the first eight runners failed to set times.
Minardi's Gianmaria Bruni became the first man to fall foul of the single-lap qualifying format when his Minardi refused to get in gear. The Italian will therefore start from the back of the grid.
Then a few minutes later, Christian Klien showed his inexperience when he ran off the track on his out lap, damaging the underside of the car. He had to pull back into the pits without setting a time.
And Olivier Panis' Toyota ground to a halt as he exited his garage. Despite the frantic efforts of his team to restart the car, he missed his qualifying slot.
The Frenchman was furious and would surely have been casting envious eyes at the Ferrari garage, where the team and car ran like clockwork.
Last year, the world champions appeared rusty and sloppy at the first race, but they have clearly learnt from the experience and hit the ground running this season.
With the front row sewn up and Bridgestone tyres understood to be more consistent over long runs than the Michelins, it will take a superhuman effort to stop them in Sunday's race.
Full grid for the Australian GP
1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m24.408s
2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1m24.482s
3 MONTOYA Williams 1m24.998s
4 BUTTON BAR 1m24.998s
5 ALONSO Renault 1m25.699s
6 WEBBER Jaguar 1m25.805s
7 SATO BAR 1m25.851s
8 R.SCHUMACHER Williams 1m25.925s
9 TRULLI Renault 1m26.290s
10 RAIKKONEN McLaren 1m26.297s
11 MASSA Sauber 1m27.065s
12 COULTHARD McLaren 1m27.294s
13 DA MATTA Toyota 1m27.823s
14 FISICHELLA Sauber 1m27.845s
15 HEIDFELD Jordan 1m28.178s
16 PANTANO Jordan 1m30.140s
17 BAUMGARTNER Minardi 1m30.681s
18 PANIS Toyota no time
19 KLIEN Jaguar no time
20 BRUNI Minardi no time
SCHUMACHER BLASTS TO MELBOURNE POLE
Last Updated: Saturday, 06 March , 2004, 06:00
Michael Schumacher obliterated his own lap record to clinch pole position for the Australian GP.
After being edged out by Juan Pablo Montoya in first qualifying, the German bounced back with a vengeance when it really counted.
Rubens Barrichello made it an all-Ferrari front row, putting the world champions in an incredibly strong position for race day.
Although Montoya briefly threatened before being forced to settle for third, the challenge from the rest of the leading runners largely failed to materialise.
Ralf Schumacher could do no better than eighth spot while McLaren had a dismal session with Kimi Raikkonen 10th and David Coulthard 12th.
Coulthard's one-lap qualifying hoodoo struck again when he went wide at the last corner. The front of his car momentarily became airborne and it is unlikely that the underside will have escaped damage, which will impair his race performance.
And that wasn't the only bad news for DC as an inspired Jenson Button served notice that the Scot's spell as top Brit may be coming to an end.
Button produced a storming lap to clinch fourth place on the grid, setting exactly the same time as Montoya to a thousandth of a second.
With team-mate Takuma Sato seventh, it was clear for all to see that BAR have made huge strides this season.
The Japanese enjoyed a spell at the top of the timesheets midway through the session before Mark Webber sent the Aussie crowd into raptures by going briefly fastest.
It was the Jaguar driver's misfortune that Barrichello was next out on the track. Not unexpectedly, the Ferrari man made short work of Webber's benchmark, and it took a special lap from team-mate Michael Schumacher to topple him.
It may have been a good day for Italy's national team but the country's leading drivers fared less well.
Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella were both comprehensively outpaced by their team-mates. Fisi in particular put in an uncharacteristically messy lap, running wide twice.
Amazingly, no fewer than three of the first eight runners failed to set times.
Minardi's Gianmaria Bruni became the first man to fall foul of the single-lap qualifying format when his Minardi refused to get in gear. The Italian will therefore start from the back of the grid.
Then a few minutes later, Christian Klien showed his inexperience when he ran off the track on his out lap, damaging the underside of the car. He had to pull back into the pits without setting a time.
And Olivier Panis' Toyota ground to a halt as he exited his garage. Despite the frantic efforts of his team to restart the car, he missed his qualifying slot.
The Frenchman was furious and would surely have been casting envious eyes at the Ferrari garage, where the team and car ran like clockwork.
Last year, the world champions appeared rusty and sloppy at the first race, but they have clearly learnt from the experience and hit the ground running this season.
With the front row sewn up and Bridgestone tyres understood to be more consistent over long runs than the Michelins, it will take a superhuman effort to stop them in Sunday's race.
Full grid for the Australian GP
1 M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m24.408s
2 BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1m24.482s
3 MONTOYA Williams 1m24.998s
4 BUTTON BAR 1m24.998s
5 ALONSO Renault 1m25.699s
6 WEBBER Jaguar 1m25.805s
7 SATO BAR 1m25.851s
8 R.SCHUMACHER Williams 1m25.925s
9 TRULLI Renault 1m26.290s
10 RAIKKONEN McLaren 1m26.297s
11 MASSA Sauber 1m27.065s
12 COULTHARD McLaren 1m27.294s
13 DA MATTA Toyota 1m27.823s
14 FISICHELLA Sauber 1m27.845s
15 HEIDFELD Jordan 1m28.178s
16 PANTANO Jordan 1m30.140s
17 BAUMGARTNER Minardi 1m30.681s
18 PANIS Toyota no time
19 KLIEN Jaguar no time
20 BRUNI Minardi no time
