TRULLI STEALS ALONSO'S THUNDER May 7, '05 8:59 AM ET
for everyone
Last Updated: Saturday, 07, May, 2005, 13:15
Jarno Trulli spoiled home favourite Fernando Alonsos party by
pipping him for provisional pole at Barcelona on Saturday.
Formula 1s ace qualifier edged out the Spaniard by just 0.016s
after Alonso, in common with most of the rest of the field, lost
time in the final sector.
McLarens Kimi Raikkonen, who was one of the first drivers to go
out as a result of his Imola retirement, set a benchmark that stood
until the dying moments of the session.
The Finns lap began inauspiciously when he ran wide onto the
gravel at the exit of Turn 2. But the error cost him surprisingly
little time and the rest of the lap was spot-on, yielding a
1m14.819s.
Even so, Raikkonen looked vulnerable as several drivers bettered
his first sector time and seemed on course to usurp him.
But the tenths ebbed away in the last few corners where crosswinds
made grip levels unpredictable.
Trulli judged it to perfection, however, hooking all three sectors
of the lap together nicely to topple Raikkonen with a
1m14.795s.
Only Alonso was left to run, and the crowd cheered their man to the
echo as he ventured out on his out lap.
At the second split he was on target to beat Trulli, but once again
the final sector proved his undoing and he had to give best to his
former team-mate by the slenderest of margins.
Indeed, the top four names on the timesheets were blanketed by less
than 0.1s, so the ultra-competitive 2005 season is, if anything,
intensifying in Spain this weekend.
The leading quartet was completed by the second Toyota of Ralf
Schumacher. The German will be slightly disappointed to lose out to
Trulli yet again since he had been quicker than him throughout this
mornings practice.
But with so little in it at the sharp end of the grid, Ralf has
every chance of redressing the balance tomorrow.
The two Williams were unexpectedly quick and have provisionally
annexed the third row, Nick Heidfeld shading Mark Webber by a
miniscule 0.004s.
Heidfeld's provisional placing is academic, as he will demoted 10
spots after the team installed a new BMW engine overnight.
Webber, though, may just stay in that region of the grid since he
has a 0.36s buffer over the seventh-placed driver none other than
Michael Schumacher.
The Ferraris have not been on the pace so far this weekend, but
when Schumacher slammed in a fastest first sector many in the
paddock assumed the team had been sandbagging.
That theory was swiftly disproved, however, as the world champion
faded dramatically as the lap wore on, ending up 0.6s shy of the
pole time.
Team-mate Rubens Barrichello qualified ninth but is another to face
a 10-place grid relegation as his Ferrari mechanics performed an
engine change following practice this morning.
The Maranello twins were sandwiched by Giancarlo Fisichella in the
second Renault, while David Coulthard rounded out the top 10 in the
leading Red Bull entry.
Grand prix returnee Juan Pablo Montoya was the first man out in
qualifying and paid the price with a lowly 12th best time, over a
second slower than team-mate Raikkonen.
First qualifying times from Barcelona
1. TRULLI Toyota 1m14.795s
2. ALONSO Renault 1m14.811s
3. RAIKKONEN McLaren 1m14.819s
4. R.SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m14.870s
5. HEIDFELD Williams 1m15.038s
6. WEBBER Williams 1m15.042s
7. M.SCHUMACHER Ferrari 1m15.398s
8. FISICHELLA Renault 1m15.601s
9. BARRICHELLO Ferrari 1m15.746s
10. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m15.795s
11. MASSA Sauber 1m15.863s
12. MONTOYA McLaren 1m15.902s
13. LIUZZI Sauber 1m16.288s
14. VILLENEUVE Sauber 1m16.794s
15. KARTHIKEYAN Jordan 1m18.557s
16. MONTEIRO Jordan 1m19.040s
17. ALBERS Minardi 1m19.563s
18. FRIESACHER Minardi 1m20.306s