Hungary, Aug 23: Renault driver Jarno Trulli sprang a surprise to set the pace in Friday's first qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Italian produced the latest in a string of impressive qualifying performances with a fastest lap of one minute 23.358 seconds to nose ahead even of the in-form BMW Williams team. But Williams driver Ralf Schumacher was second fastest just 0.055secs behind Trulli and ahead of the Jaguar of Mark Webber, McLaren-Mercedes' David Coulthard, the Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello and the second Renault of Fernando Alonso.
Schumacher's team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya was only eighth fastest, behind Toyota's Olivier Panis but ahead of both of his world championship rivals - Michael Schumacher was ninth in the second Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen 12th for McLaren. Raikkonen produced a typically spectacular lap - he was quick in the first two sectors, but slid wide over the kerbs at the 120mph Turn 11 and lost time.

The older Schumacher, who leads Montoya by six points in the title chase and Raikkonen by nine, was more than a second slower than Trulli's pace.
That, and the gap between Ralf Schumacher and Barrichello, lends credence to the belief that Ferrari's Bridgestone tyres will struggle this weekend compared with the Michelins used by Williams, McLaren and Renault.

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Bureau Report