Sepang, Mar 21: Michael Schumacher in pole for Malaysian Grand Prix. World champion Michael Schumacher swept to pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix on Saturday (March 20) to underline Ferrari's Formula One supremacy. The German secured the 57th pole of his career, second in a row and fifth in Malaysia since the first race at Sepang in 1999, with a lap of one minute 33.074 seconds. Ominously, for those hoping for signs of resistance to Ferrari's current domination, the German was 0.641 seconds faster than the man alongside him on the front row -- Jaguar's ever-improving Australian Mark Webber. Schumacher is now just eight poles away from the Formula One record set by the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna. Webber will be on the first front row of the grid for the first time in his career and, whatever the relative fuel loads, he relegated Schumacher's Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello to the second row. Webber retired with a clutch problem in Australia and he recognised his Jaguar could struggle to threaten Schumacher's Ferrari.


Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya put his Williams on the second row alongside Barrichello but it was a disappointing day for Ferrari's traditional rivals.


Montoya's team mate, Schumacher's younger brother Ralf, was only seventh quickest.

McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen, who celebrated the first grand prix win of his career in Malaysia last year on his way to finishing the season as overall runner-up, was fifth and joined the BAR of Briton Jenson Button on the third row.


Spain's Fernando Alonso, who led a Renault sweep of the front row with Italian Jarno Trulli last year and became the youngest driver to start on pole, had a nightmare.


Fastest in the first part to determine the starting order of the decisive qualifying, the 22-year-old skidded off and will start from the back of the grid.


The marathon session was earlier halted briefly after BAR's Japanese Takuma Sato skidded off.


Official grid for Sunday's Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix after Saturday's qualifying: 1. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1:33.074 2. Mark Webber (Australia) Jaguar 1:33.715 3. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 1:33.756 4. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) Williams 1:34.054 5. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren 1:34.164 6. Jenson Button (Britain) BAR 1:34.221 7. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams 1:34.235 8. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Renault 1:34.413 9. David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 1:34.602 10. Cristiano Da Matta (Brazil) Toyota 1:34.917 11. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Sauber 1:35.039 12. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Sauber 1:35.061 13. Christian Klien (Austria) 1:35.158 14. Olivier Panis (France) 1:35.617 15. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Jordan 1:36.569 16. Gianmaria Bruni (Italy) 1:38.577 17. Zsolt Baumgartner (Hungary) Minardi 1:39.272 18. Giorgio Pantano (Italy) Jordan 1:39.902 19. Takuma Sato (Japan) BAR No Time 20. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault No Time


Bureau Report