TRULLI STEALS ALONSO'S THUNDER May 7, '05 8:59 AM ET
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Last Updated: Saturday, 07, May, 2005, 13:15
Jarno Trulli spoiled home favourite Fernando AlonsoÂ’s party by pipping him for provisional pole at Barcelona on Saturday.
Formula 1Â’s 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.
McLarenÂ’s 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 FinnÂ’s 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 morningÂ’s 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