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| Renault driver Fernando
Alonso sits in his car in the pits of the Nuerburgring
racetrack during the third practice session on Saturday
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Nuerburgring: Renault’s
world champion Fernando Alonso edged out Michael Schumacher
to take his first pole position of the season at the European
Grand Prix on Saturday.
The 24-year-old Spaniard will
start alongside Ferrari’s seven times champion, his
closest rival in the Formula One championship and the man
he dethroned last year.
Felipe Massa was third fastest
for Ferrari and, as at Imola two weeks ago, forms an all-Brazilian
second row with Honda’s Rubens Barrichello.
Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen
was fifth fastest for Mercedes-powered McLaren and Honda’s
Jenson Button sixth, ending a run of seven starts from the
front two rows.
Alonso’s Italian teammate
Giancarlo Fisichella failed to qualify in the top-10 for
the second race in a row and stalked angrily down the pitlane
to remonstrate with BMW Sauber’s Jacques Villeneuve,
who starts eighth.
Fisichella, who had shaken his
fist at the Canadian several times as he followed the BMW
driver on the track in the penultimate session, clearly
blamed the 1997 champion for baulking him.
Standing in the BMW garage in
front of Villeneuve’s car, with the Canadian still
sitting in it, he pointed his finger and made his feelings
clear.
Ralf Schumacher will start his
home race in 10th place because Australian Mark Webber,
who qualified in that position and just ahead of him, collected
a 10-place penalty for an unscheduled engine change.
Webber’s Williams teammate
Nico Rosberg was 12th fastest but also took a 10-place hit
and will start at the back for his first home race after
a similar precautionary engine change.
BMW’s Nick Heidfeld, who
took the first pole position of his career at the Nuerburgring
last year, qualified a distant 15th but will gain two places
because of the Williams’ penalties.
French driver Franck Montagny
will make his Grand Prix debut on the back row for newcomers
Super Aguri after replacing dropped Japanese Yuji Ide.
There was confusion after the
first qualifying session, with the start of the second delayed
by 10 minutes while a timing problem was sorted out.
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