09 May 2004	Sunday	18 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

BARCELONA, May 8: World champion Michael Schumacher put himself on course for a fourth consecutive Spanish Grand Prix victory when he blew away the opposition in qualifying to comfortably claim pole position here Saturday.

The German Ferrari driver, who has won all four races so far this season, has been unbeatable at the Circuit de Catalunya in the last three years and he burst the bubble of rivals BAR-Honda with his fourth pole of the season.

His time of one minute 15.022sec put him 0.617secs clear of closest contender Juan Pablo Montoya, of Williams, while his expected challenger, British BAR-Honda driver Jenson Button, threw his chance away with a mistake.

Button's brief off put him down in 14th place but his Japanese team-mate Takuma Sato ensured that BAR can still fight at the front by claiming the third fastest time.

All of the 13 previous races here have been won by one of the top three drivers on the grid and Schumacher is now hot favourite after finishing more than a second clear of fourth-placed Renault driver Jarno Trulli.

Schumacher's Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello claimed fifth place on the grid - equalling his worst starting position of the season - while German Ralf Schumacher, of Williams, and Frenchman Olivier Panis, of Toyota, finished sixth and seventh.-AFP