BARCELONA, May 3: World champion Michael Schumacher swept to pole position at the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday as Ferrari’s new F2003-GA Formula One cars filled the front row.

The German, fastest in Spain for the fourth year in a row, powered around the Circuit de Catalunya in one minute 17.762 seconds, 0.258 ahead of his Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello.

“We knew there was a good opportunity for us because the car is better than last year’s,” said Schumacher, who has won four times in Spain, of a car making its race debut on Sunday.

Spain’s Fernando Alonso was third quickest for Renault, ahead of his Italian team mate Jarno Trulli, to the delight of an army of flag-waving fans from his home city Oviedo.

Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren’s world championship leader, failed to set a time and will start from the pitlane for the second time in five races after running wide into the gravel trap at turn seven.

The young Finn started from the pitlane in the action-packed Australian season opener and still came third. His mechanics can work on his car overnight and refuel it whereas rivals are bound by parc ferme conditions.

Briton Jenson Button was fifth quickest for BAR ahead of Toyota’s Olivier Panis, now the only driver on the grid to have outqualified his team mate in every race.

Toyota’s Brazilian Cristiano da Matta, fourth in Friday’s opening qualifying, was 13th.

Ralf Schumacher was seventh for Williams and starts alongside Briton David Coulthard in a McLaren. Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya’s Williams was on the fifth row with German Heinz-Harald Frentzen in a Sauber.

Further down the grid, Jordan’s British rookie Ralph Firman outqualified Italian team mate Giancarlo Fisichella for the first time this season.

Firman was 15th fastest while Fisichella, winner of the shortened Brazilian Grand Prix after a timekeeping error was discovered, managed only 17th place.

Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia, fighting for his future at Jaguar, missed a golden opportunity to impress at a circuit he knows better than any other. The rookie qualified 16th while Australian team mate Mark Webber was 12th.

Grid positions: 1. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1:17.762; 2. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 1:18.020; 3. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 1:18.233; 4. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Renault 1:18.615; 5. Jenson Button (Britain) BAR 1:18.704; 6. Olivier Panis (France) Toyota 1:18.811; 7. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams 1:19.006; 8. David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 1:19.128; 9. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) Williams 1:19.377; 10. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Sauber 1:19.427; 11. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BAR 1:19.563; 12. Mark Webber (Australia) Jaguar 1:19.615; 13. Cristiano da Matta (Brazil) Toyota 1:19.623; 14. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Sauber 1:19.646; 15. Ralph Firman (Britain) Jordan 1:20.215; 16. Antonio Pizzonia (Brazil) Jaguar 1:20.308; 17. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Jordan 1:20.976; 18. Justin Wilson (Britain) Minardi 1:22.104; 19. Jos Verstappen (Netherlands) Minardi 1:22.237; 20. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren no time.—Reuters