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| July 7, 2002 | Sunday | Rabi-us-Sani 25,1423 |
Montoya cements status as king of qualifying
SILVERSTONE (England), July 6: Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya cemented his reputation as the new king of qualifying on Saturday with a fourth successive pole position ahead of the British Grand Prix.
The Williams driver blasted out a dramatic lap in the dying seconds at an overcast Silverstone, running fastest in the last two sectors to oust Ferrari’s Brazilian Rubens Barrichello by 0.034 of a second.
It was Montoya’s fifth pole of the season and the eighth of his 27-race Formula One career.
“It was a big surprise to be honest,” said Montoya, who must now keep his fingers crossed for a first win of the season after three successive retirements.
“I really was expecting to get on the second row...I didn’t have a clue about the balance of the car or anything.”
Montoya’s time of one minute 18.998 seconds was comfortably inside the 2001 pole set by Ferrari’s world champion Michael Schumacher — who has been on pole only three times this year — of 1:20.447.
Schumacher, who leads younger brother Ralf in the world title race by 46 points and will be chasing his seventh victory in 10 grands prix on Sunday, was pushed off the front row for the fourth time in five races.
The German, who broke his leg in a crash at Silverstone in 1999, will start on Sunday alongside Ralf, Montoya’s team mate.
McLaren filled the third row with Finland’s Kimi Raikkoneen fifth and Scot David Coulthard, the highest placed home driver.
Toyota’s Mika Salo shrugged off the stomach problem that prevented him lapping on Friday to qualify eighth alongside Renault’s Italian Jarno Trulli.
Trulli’s British team mate Jenson Button, unsure of where he is driving next year, blew an engine 27 minutes into the session and starts 12th for a race that could have a big influence on his future.
Jaguar, using a new aerodynamic package they had hoped would signal a marked improvement in their fortunes, struggled to get two cars on the grid, with Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa making it by the skin of his teeth.
Eddie Irvine was a disappointing 19th.
De la Rosa had not set a competitive time until the closing minutes, pacing the garage as the seconds ticked away and mechanics worked on his car.
He finally qualified last of all, 21st after Malaysian Alex Yoong failed to set a qualifying time for the second time this year in the Minardi — both occasions in the Anglo-Italian team’s home races.
The two Arrows drivers, who had been in danger of missing out in a money dispute with engine suppliers Cosworth, qualified comfortably after an 11th hour settlement was reached on Friday night.
German Heinz-Harald Frentzen qualified 16th and Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi 18th, ahead of both the Jaguars — owned by Cosworth’s parent Ford.
Grid positions:
1. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) Williams 1 minutes 18.998 seconds (average speed 234.279 kph); 2. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 1:19.032; 3. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1:19.042; 4. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams 1:19.329; 5. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren 1:20.133; 6. David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 1:20.315; 7. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Renault 1:20.516; 8. Mika Salo (Finland) Toyota 1:20.995; 9. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BAR 1:21.130; 10. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Sauber 1:21.187; 11. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Sauber 1:21.191; 12. Jenson Button (Britain) Renault 1:21.247; 13. Olivier Panis (France) BAR 1:21.274; 14. Takuma Sato (Japan) Jordan 1:21.337; 15. Allan McNish (Britain) Toyota 1:21.382; 16. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Arrows 1:21.416; 17. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Jordan 1:21.636; 18. Enrique Bernoldi (Brazil) Arrows 1:21.780; 19. Eddie Irvine (Britain) Jaguar 1:21.851; 20. Mark Webber (Australia) Minardi 1:22.281; 21. Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) Jaguar 1:23.422.
Did not qualify: Alex Yoong (Malaysia) Minardi 1:24.785—Reuters
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