Montreal, June 15: Germany's Ralf Schumacher seized his second successive pole position as Williams swept champions Ferrari off the Canadian Grand Prix front row. While McLaren's championship leader Kimi Raikkonen suffered a nightmare afternoon, failing to clock a time after skidding off and clouting the tyre wall on his flying lap, resurgent Williams set the pace on Saturday (June 14). Ralf lapped the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, named after Canada's late Ferrari driver, in one minute 15.529 seconds as the morning rain lifted. His Colombian team mate Juan Pablo Montoya, winner of the season's glamour race in Monaco two weeks ago, slotted in alongside him with a time 0.394 slower. It was the first all-Williams front row of the season and the third career pole for the German, who won in Montreal in 2001, but has yet to stand on the podium this year, despite scoring points in every race.


"We were expecting something in the top five, but being in the first row is a great result for the team," said Ralf.


Montoya was wary of revealing too much about the team's fuel strategy, with cars now qualifying on different loads, but he was quietly confident.


Ralf's older brother Michael, Ferrari's five times world champion, was third fastest and shares the second row with Renault's Spaniard Fernando Alonso.


"If I consider the quality of my lap, being third, I have to be happy, because that wasn't one of my better ones," said Ferrari's Schumacher. "I'm reasonably happy with the position I'm in."


Ferrari's Brazilian Rubens Barrichello was fifth quickest with Australian Mark Webber sixth for Jaguar. France's Olivier Panis boosted Toyota's hopes with the seventh best time.

Raikkonen skidded off at the end of the start-finish straight on his flying lap. He then struggled to get the car off the waterlogged grass runoff, the rear wheels spinning wildly, before parking up.

The Finn leads Michael Schumacher by four points in the standings after seven races, but the German is the master of Montreal, with five wins in nine years.


Sunday (June 15) will be the third time this season that the 23-year-old Raikkonen has started at the back of the grid or from the pit lane after qualifying problems and he has managed to finish on the podium six times. His British team mate David Coulthard, winner in Australia, starts in 11th place.


Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, son of Gilles, was first out on the track after spinning full circle within sight of the finish in Friday's first one-lap session.


The 1997 champion ended up 14th on the grid, leaving the BAR driver a tough task to score points in Montreal for the first time since his debut season in 1996 and on the 25th anniversary of his father's win.


Briton Ralph Firman, fourth quickest in Friday's (June 13) qualifying, saw his hopes evaporate with a back row slot.


Grid positions for Sunday's Canadian Formula One Grand Prix after Saturday's final qualifying: 1. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams one minute 15.529 seconds 2. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) Williams 1:15.923 3. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1:16.047 4. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 1:16.048 5. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 1:16.143 6. Mark Webber (Australia) Jaguar 1:16.182 7. Olivier Panis (France) Toyota 1:16.598 8. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Renault 1:16.718 9. Cristiano da Matta (Brazil) Toyota 1:16.826 10. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Sauber 1:16.939 11. David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 1:17.024 12. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Sauber 1:17.086 13. Antonio Pizzonia (Brazil) Jaguar 1:17.337 14. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BAR 1:17.347 15. Jos Verstappen (Netherlands) Minardi 1:18.014 16. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Jordan 1:18.036 17. Jenson Button (Britain) BAR 1:18.205 18. Justin Wilson (Britain) Minardi 1:18.560 19. Ralph Firman (Britain) Jordan 1:18.692 20. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren no time


Bureau Report