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LONSO-SCHUEY FRONT ROW IN BAHRAIN
Last Updated: Sunday, 03, April, 2005, 10:46
Click to enlarge Renault's Fernando Alonso will start today's Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position.
The Spaniard consolidated his advantage from first qualifying, eking out a cumulative margin of 0.455s to claim the top grid spot for the second race in succession.
But the big news is that Michael Schumacher has usurped Jarno Trulli from the other front-row slot, demonstrating that the new Ferrari will immediately be a force to be reckoned with.
Schumacher lapped just 0.066s slower than Alonso in final qualifying, and a battle royal is in prospect between the world champion and the leading pretender to his crown.
For the first time this year, Trulli will not start from the front row – a testament to just how well he has been driving in the Toyota this year.
The Italian looked on course to stay ahead of Schumacher through the first two timing points of the lap, but the tenths ebbed away in the final sector and he ended up 0.3s adrift of the Ferrari.
The Williams duo of Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber will start fourth and fifth, the Australian moving up a place at the expense of Giancarlo Fisichella, who had an uncharacteristically scruffy lap and tumbled to 10th.
Toyota's Ralf Schumacher was the big gainer in final qualifying, vaulting from 11th in the overnight order to sixth on the grid by virtue of the third fastest lap in this morning's session.
The increasingly assured Christian Klien will line up a career-best seventh in the leading Red Bull entry after another impressive lap that saw him outpace team-mate David Coulthard by almost two seconds!
The Scot could not improve on his lowly 14th position from yesterday and it's a fair bet he opted for a heavier fuel load in the hope that sassy race strategy can go some way to making up for his lack of outright speed.
McLaren sub Pedro de la Rosa did an excellent job to qualify alongside Klien on the fourth row – a place ahead of hotshoe team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
The Spaniard has surprised many in the paddock with his raw pace this weekend, and his 1m32.648s lap this morning was 0.3s quicker than Raikkonen's and the fourth best of the session.
Jenson Button gained one place on his Saturday qualifying effort and will start 11th, two spots in front of team-mate Takuma Sato.
The BAR-Hondas were split by Felipe Massa, who didn't look as comfortable as in first qualifying – perhaps indicating that the Sauber team has followed its traditional policy of filling the car to the brim with fuel.
Bahrain GP grid
1. ALONSO Renault 3m01.902s
2. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 3m02.357s
3. TRULLI Toyota 3m02.660s
4. HEIDFELD Williams 3m03.217s
5. WEBBER Williams 3m03.262s
6. R.SCHUMACHER Toyota 3m03.271s
7. KLIEN Red Bull 3m03.369s
8. DE LA ROSA McLaren 3m03.373s
9. RAIKKONEN McLaren 3m03.524s
10. FISICHELLA Renault 3m03.765s
11. BUTTON BAR 3m04.348s
12. MASSA Sauber 3m05.202s
13. SATO BAR 3m05.563s
14. COULTHARD Red Bull 3m05.844s
15. BARRICHELLO Ferrari 3m07.693s
16. VILLENEUVE Sauber 3m07.983s
17. MONTEIRO Jordan 3m09.428s
18. KARTHIKEYAN Jordan 3m10.143s
19. ALBERS Minardi 3m10.422s
20. FRIESACHER Minardi 3m11.261s
LONSO-SCHUEY FRONT ROW IN BAHRAIN
Last Updated: Sunday, 03, April, 2005, 10:46
Click to enlarge Renault's Fernando Alonso will start today's Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position.
The Spaniard consolidated his advantage from first qualifying, eking out a cumulative margin of 0.455s to claim the top grid spot for the second race in succession.
But the big news is that Michael Schumacher has usurped Jarno Trulli from the other front-row slot, demonstrating that the new Ferrari will immediately be a force to be reckoned with.
Schumacher lapped just 0.066s slower than Alonso in final qualifying, and a battle royal is in prospect between the world champion and the leading pretender to his crown.
For the first time this year, Trulli will not start from the front row – a testament to just how well he has been driving in the Toyota this year.
The Italian looked on course to stay ahead of Schumacher through the first two timing points of the lap, but the tenths ebbed away in the final sector and he ended up 0.3s adrift of the Ferrari.
The Williams duo of Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber will start fourth and fifth, the Australian moving up a place at the expense of Giancarlo Fisichella, who had an uncharacteristically scruffy lap and tumbled to 10th.
Toyota's Ralf Schumacher was the big gainer in final qualifying, vaulting from 11th in the overnight order to sixth on the grid by virtue of the third fastest lap in this morning's session.
The increasingly assured Christian Klien will line up a career-best seventh in the leading Red Bull entry after another impressive lap that saw him outpace team-mate David Coulthard by almost two seconds!
The Scot could not improve on his lowly 14th position from yesterday and it's a fair bet he opted for a heavier fuel load in the hope that sassy race strategy can go some way to making up for his lack of outright speed.
McLaren sub Pedro de la Rosa did an excellent job to qualify alongside Klien on the fourth row – a place ahead of hotshoe team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
The Spaniard has surprised many in the paddock with his raw pace this weekend, and his 1m32.648s lap this morning was 0.3s quicker than Raikkonen's and the fourth best of the session.
Jenson Button gained one place on his Saturday qualifying effort and will start 11th, two spots in front of team-mate Takuma Sato.
The BAR-Hondas were split by Felipe Massa, who didn't look as comfortable as in first qualifying – perhaps indicating that the Sauber team has followed its traditional policy of filling the car to the brim with fuel.
Bahrain GP grid
1. ALONSO Renault 3m01.902s
2. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 3m02.357s
3. TRULLI Toyota 3m02.660s
4. HEIDFELD Williams 3m03.217s
5. WEBBER Williams 3m03.262s
6. R.SCHUMACHER Toyota 3m03.271s
7. KLIEN Red Bull 3m03.369s
8. DE LA ROSA McLaren 3m03.373s
9. RAIKKONEN McLaren 3m03.524s
10. FISICHELLA Renault 3m03.765s
11. BUTTON BAR 3m04.348s
12. MASSA Sauber 3m05.202s
13. SATO BAR 3m05.563s
14. COULTHARD Red Bull 3m05.844s
15. BARRICHELLO Ferrari 3m07.693s
16. VILLENEUVE Sauber 3m07.983s
17. MONTEIRO Jordan 3m09.428s
18. KARTHIKEYAN Jordan 3m10.143s
19. ALBERS Minardi 3m10.422s
20. FRIESACHER Minardi 3m11.261s