Ferrari’s six-times world champion Michael Schumacher will start from the pole in Sunday’s Australian Formula One Grand Prix after qualifying in the fastest time in Melbourne on Saturday.
Schumacher trumped teammate Rubens Barrichello in a fastest flying lap time of one minute and 24,408 seconds to take the inside of an all-Ferrari front row of Sunday’s race grid.
It is the 35-year-old German’s 56th career pole and places him nine behind the record held by the late Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna.
Barrichello, who posted the fastest time up until he it was bettered by Schumacher, clocked 1:24,482 — 0,074 seconds behind the Ferrari number one.
Williams-BMW’s Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia will start on the inside of the second row after his qualifying 1:24,998 equal in time with BAR-Honda’s Jenson Button of Britain.
McLaren had a disastrous qualifying session with last year’s championship runnerup Kimi Raikkonen of Finland 10th-fastest in 1:26,297 and last year’s race winner David Coulthard of Scotland 12th-quickest in 1:27,294. — Sapa-AFP