German GP: Qualifying
Times
P. No Driver Team - Car Time/Laps
1. 2 Coulthard McLaren Mercedes 1:45.697 232.457 km/h
2. 3 Schumacher,M Ferrari 1:47.063 + 0:01.366
3. 11 Fisichella Benetton Playlife 1:47.130 + 0:01.433
4. 1 Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes 1:47.162 + 0:01.465
5. 18 de la Rosa Arrows Supertec 1:47.786 + 0:02.089
6. 6 Trulli Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:47.833 + 0:02.136
7. 12 Wurz Benetton Playlife 1:48.037 + 0:02.340
8. 8 Herbert Jaguar 1:48.078 + 0:02.381
9. 22 Villeneuve BAR Honda 1:48.121 + 0:02.424
10. 7 Irvine Jaguar 1:48.305 + 0:02.608
11. 19 Verstappen Arrows Supertec 1:48.321 + 0:02.624
12. 23 Zonta BAR Honda 1:48.665 + 0:02.968
13. 15 Heidfeld Prost Peugeot 1:48.690 + 0:02.993
14. 9 Schumacher,R Williams BMW 1:48.841 + 0:03.144
15. 17 Salo Sauber Petronas 1:49.204 + 0:03.507
16. 10 Button Williams BMW 1:49.215 + 0:03.518
17. 5 Frentzen Jordan Mugen-Honda 1:49.280 + 0:03.583
18. 4 Barrichello Ferrari 1:49.544 + 0:03.847
19. 16 Diniz Sauber Petronas 1:49.936 + 0:04.239
20. 14 Alesi Prost Peugeot 1:50.289 + 0:04.592
21. 21 Mazzacane Minardi Fondmetal 1:51.611 + 0:05.914
22. 20 Gene Minardi Fondmetal 1:53.094 + 0:07.397
107% time: 1:53.096
FIA Press Release
McLAREN: COULTHARD TAKES POLE David Coulthard took pole position - his second this season and the tenth of his career overall - with a 1m 45.697s best in his McLaren-Mercedes MP4/15 after picking his moment perfectly during the session blighted by intermittent heavy rain. "It was necessary to find a clear track and get a clean run through that key middle sector of the lap, which I managed," said Coulthard. "The first sector was dry,the second session more-or-less dry and the third dry again. My engineers were working on the set-up to the very last middle, although I'd actually wanted to go out sooner, but it went my way." Mika Hakkinen was a little late making his final run, having already qualified fourth on 1m 47.162s, but caught a rain shower on his final run as he came back into the stadium and could not improve. FERRARI: SCHUMACHER VAULTS TO SECOND Michael Schumacher vaulted up to second place on the grid with a 1m 47.063s lap in the final moments of the session using his spare Ferrari F1-2000 after crashing his race car this morning. "I found a lucky moment to improve," he admitted. "I didn't expect to be at the qualifying press conference." Rubens Barrichello stopped out on the circuit early in the session with a possible oil leak, then walked back to take Michael's repaired race car in which he squeezed into 18th place on 1m 49.544s after a bold run later on a damp track surface. BENETTON: FISICHELLA THIRD IN SPARE BENETTON Giancarlo Fisichella set third fastest time on 1m 47.130s in his Benetton-Playlife B200, taking over the spare after spinning off in his race chassis. "The T-car had the wrong gear ratios," said Giancarlo. "Fifth and sixth gears were too long and that cost me 10kph on the straight, so I was quite lucky." Alexander Wurz was also very satisfied with seventh fastest overall. ARROWS: DE LA ROSA FIFTH Pedro de la Rosa wound up fifth in his Arrows A21. "The lap was not superb, but I was out on the circuit at the right time," he said. Jos Verstappen had problems starting his engine and did not get out in time to get as quick a lap, winding up 11th. JORDAN: TRULLI COMPLETES TOP HALF DOZEN Jarno Trulli was quite satisfied with his sixth place, but Heinz-Harald Frentzen had his first quick time disallowed after he straight-lined the first chicane on his initial out-lap in an effort to get ahead of two rivals and a clear track ahead of him. His next lap was spoiled when he found Villeneuve's BAR spun at the Ostkurve, so he was outside the 107 per cent cut-off for much of the session before finally qualifying 17th. BRIEFLY BAR: Jacques Villeneuve qualified ninth in his BAR-Honda after taking the spare car after his spin. Ricardo Zonta (12th) had a fresh Honda V10 installed in his car prior to the start of the session and was then caught Alesi coming into the stadium on his best lap. PROST: Nick Heidfeld qualified well in 13th with his Prost-Peugeot after making his quick run at the same time as Fisichella, but Jean Alesi went later and could only manage 20th. WILLIAMS: Ralf Schumacher qualified 14th, not having chosen the best chassis settings, while Jenson Button lost his best lap when Fisichella spun in front of him.
Formula-1.co.uk Report
It was David Coulthard who claimed pole position today for the German Grand Prix, his second pole position of the season. Michael Schumacher starts his home race alongside the Scot, with Giancarlo Fisichella and Mika Hakkinen taking up the second row of the grid. It was an eventful session, which has produced a very interesting line-up for the race tomorrow.
With the beginning to fall just two minutes before the start of the one hour qualifying session and Michael Schumacher taking to his spare Ferrari after crashing his primary car heavily in the morning practice session, all the drivers were at the end of the pitlane ready for the session to begin. Timing at the rainy Hockenheimring is everything.
With the exception of Rubens Barrichello, all drivers opted to take to the slippery circuit with slick Bridgestone' tyres. It was a frantic train of cars that began their out lap, all jockeying for position and trying to make room for the all-important clear lap before the circuit became too wet for a competitive lap time. The two Sauber's of Mika Salo and Pedro Diniz led the train down to the first chicane, with Frentzen right behind. The German missed the chicane, passing both Sauber's in the process and carried on to the second.. and yep.. missed it again. This would come back to haunt the German later in the session.
It is times like this that you fear for the safety of Formula One drivers. No one had any real idea where the grip was on the circuit. As the cars started their flying lap, Frentzen led the field around, briefly taking provisional pole position. Jarno Trulli then took over the position briefly, then Michael Schumacher and then finally David Coulthard put it beyond everyone's reach lapping over a second and a half faster than anyone else. Pole in the bag for the Scot. For the rest of the field, they still had a busy afternoon's work ahead.
Meanwhile, Giancarlo Fisichella lost control of his Benetton Playlife at the first turn and was fortunate to spin harmlessly to the right hand side of the circuit. Fisichella jumped out and ran back for the spare chassis. Rubens Barrichello was not so fortunate, as he spun at the same turn. The Brazilian jogged back to the pits, but there was no spare Ferrari available as Michael Schumacher had already commandeered it for his own use.
With 15 minutes gone, only Fisichella, Barrichello and Jos Verstappen had yet to set a time. The Arrows driver took to the circuit and promptly put the car provisionally tenth on the grid. This woke up the teams somewhat and suddenly Fisichella and Schumacher took to the track. As if to illustrate the point Giancarlo Fisichella slithered around the circuit and promptly put it on the front row alongside David Coulthard. The Italian seems to have a knack of finding the perfect time for qualifying runs.... Meanwhile, team-mate Alexander Wurz will be very happy to be starting the race in seventh place - his best qualifying result of the season.
Michael Schumacher began his second run, just as rain began to fall again. The German pitted immediately and was pulled into the weigh bridge for the second time in succession. Meanwhile Ferrari '1b' driver Rubens Barrichello took over Michael Schumacher's spare car as the German looked on nervously... Unfortunately for Barrichello his lap of 1:56.723 was nowhere near to the 107 percent time of 1:53.096... Not qualified.
Meanwhile at Jaguar Eddie Irvine admitted that he had been lucky so far in the session with his 10th fastest time. Always one for a quote the relaxed Irvine commented "I just hope that the track doesn't get any quicker, because [if it does] we've only got one way to go..."
With 15 minutes remaining, Heinz-Harald Frentzen got the inevitable news that his lap time was now no longer valid. The reasoning is that Frentzen gained track position [he did in fact gain two places] by missing out the two chicanes and the German therefore joined Barrichello in the position of a non-qualifyer. Eddie Jordan hardly smiled at all and commented that it was 'a pretty tough decision.'
Frentzen duly took the the circuit in order to try and qualify the Jordan, but promptly abandoned the lap and returned to the pits in the knowledge that with 12 minutes left, the circuit was too wet to qualify. The German, along with the rest of the field emerged from the pits with six minutes remaining. While Frentzen and Barrichello scrabbled around trying to qualify, Michael Schumacher produced a stunning lap to take second on the grid. Schumacher was now finally back in his primary race car and Barrichello back in the spare car that Schumacher had used earlier in the session. To put Schumacher's last lap into perspective the German was 2.5 seconds quicker than Rubens Barrichello on his last lap and 2.7 seconds faster than Mika Hakkinen.
Pedro de la Rosa starts the German Grand Prix in a career best of fifth in his Arrows Supertec. Last time out in Austria, the talented Spaniard ran third in the race, holding off Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari only for his engine to fail. Without a doubt the engine will fail again tomorrow, but hopefully de la Rosa will last long enough to show what he can really do.
Just seconds after the session cam to an end, the rains began to fall again... With the weather looking changeable for Sunday's German Grand Prix, I think we are all in for a treat of a race.
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