Rising formula-one star Fernando Alonso delighted the Renault home-country crowd to capture the pole position for the French Grand Prix ahead of six-time world champion Michael Schumacher.
Alonso had the fastest time of one minute and 13,698 seconds on the 4,411km Nevers-Magny Cours circuit. That pleased the many fans of the French carmaker.
”To be first at the home grand prix is very nice,” the Spanish driver said. ”Now we have to see tomorrow.”
”Any pole position is great but to do it here is very important,” he said.
Alonso had two pole positions last year. Last August, at Hungary, he took the pole and became the youngest formula-one driver to win a grand prix race, just a few weeks after celebrating his 22nd birthday. In March 2003, at Malaysia, he became the youngest formula-one driver to gain a pole position at the age of 21 years, eight months.
Schumacher was second in 1:13,971.
”We are in the first row so we will be there,” the German said.
Schumacher is looking to extend his success for the season and at the French GP. So far this season he has won eight of nine races. He is a six-time French GP champion.
David Coulthard of Scotland was third in the new model of the McLaren-Mercedes, the first time his team has qualified in the top three this season.
”We have definitely taken a step forward,” Coulthard said.
Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya had the fastest time in pre-qualifying, 1:13,377, after doing poorly in the last practice session, completing just eight laps with a best of 1:21,458 in his Williams-BMW.
However, in qualifying he placed sixth with a time of 1:14,172.
Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, second in the last three races behind Schumacher, had to start first in qualifying after hydraulic problems prevented him from going out in prequalifying. He had a time of 1:14,478 for the 10th position.
Qualifying still had the controversial one-lap system in effect.
Under the system, each car goes out for a lap to establish a pre-qualifying time before returning for the official qualifying.
The teams submitted a proposal to change the system but it was rejected earlier in the week by formula-one authorities. The system has already been changed once this season.
Sunday’s race is 70 laps.
Schumacher and teammate Barrichello have combined for six 1-2 finishes, including the past three races.
Ralf Schumacher won last year’s French Grand Prix at Magny Cours but will miss this year’s race after suffering two cracked vertebrae in his back in a crash at the US Grand Prix on June 20.
He will be sidelined until at least September.
Ralf Schumacher’s place on the Williams-BMW team for Sunday’s race will be taken by Spain’s Marc Gene, who drove two years for Minardi before becoming the test driver for Williams.
The speed and power of the cars involved in these accidents is a matter of concern to Max Mosley, who announced on Thursday that he intends to step down from his post as FIA president in October.
Before he leaves, he is looking to change the regulations to reduce speed and increase safety for tires, engines and aerodynamics by 2006. — Sapa-AP