Alonso keeps pole home

Ralf Schumacher was the first man on track for Toyota, with David Coulthard and Takuma Sato following him out. The German’s first lap was tidy and controlled, setting the pace on a 1:20.567. Nothing stunning, but a banker none the less. Sato immediately went faster on a 1:20.257 before Tonio Liuzzi smashed through on a 1:17.925 which lasted all of thirty seconds before Jarno Trulli put his name at the top of the list with a 1:17.531.

With five minutes gone, Villeneuve, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Webber, Massa and Michael Schumacher all sat in the drop zone, having failed to set a lap. Two minutes later it was Raikkonen who set the pace with a 1:16.613. David Coulthard was pushing for his first flyer and went off at turn three, smashing backwards into the barriers. With his car stranded the session was red flagged with seven and a half minutes remaining.

As the session got back underway Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso went head to head to the raucous applause of the packed-out grandstands. Schumacher couldn’t get near Raikkonen’s pace on his first lap stopping the clocks three tenths back. Alonso however was flying and set the quickest time by half a second to take the lead on a 1:15.816 as Giancarlo Fisichella took second on a 1:16.046.

Schumacher however was back on a mission, setting the quickest first sector, his personal best second and taking third on a 1:16.049. Franck Montagny meanwhile was on a great lap considering the equipment at his disposal, looking to get out of the bottom six. He ran wide at the final turn however and totally ruined his time.

With a minute left, Coulthard, Montagny, Sato, Albers, Monteiro and Speed were in the drop zone. As time ran out, so did their luck and the back end of the grid was decided.

SESSION TWO

Jacques Villeneuve was the first man out after spinning in this morning’s practice session and the Canadian was instantly joined on track by Tonio Liuzzi. Villeneuve’s time of 1:16.349 set the early pace, with Liuzzi following in second almost two seconds behind on 1:18.265. Nico Rosberg suddenly topped the session on a 1:16.069 before Jarno Trulli immediately beat him down with a 1:15.564.

All were laid to waste by Fernando Alonso’s first flyer of the session however, an imperious 1:15.124 putting him top. Kimi Raikkonen immediately set about chasing the champions down. He was a tenth down in the first sector, almost two tenths by the end of the second sector, and, predictably, just shy of three tenths short over the start-finish line.

Michael Schumacher meanwhile was on a flyer, setting the first sector purple, before repeating the feat in S2 and S3 to go fastest with an incredible lap of 1:14.637.

And so, with five minutes remaining, Liuzzi, Webber, Villeneuve, Rosberg, Heidfeld and Klien were all in the drop zone. With two and a half minutes, Ralf went fourth on a 1:15.164, before Button snatched fourth place away from Ralf and Trulli went second with a 1:15.068.

Mark Webber was on a last-gasp mission to get into the top ten, and with a 1:15.502 grabbed ninth place, dropping Montoya into the drop zone. Fisichella nailed his lap to go second as only the second driver to dip into the 1:14s.

So out went Liuzzi, Klien, Villeneuve, Rosberg, Montoya and Webber as Heidfeld put in a last gasp effort to take the final place in the top ten.

SESSION THREE

Fernando Alonso led the field away for the twenty minute session, as once again all cars were instantly out on track and trying to burn up as much fuel as possible. But it was Giancarlo who took the initiative, setting the pace on the first lap of 1:18.663 ahead of Button, Michael Schumacher and Fernando. Next time round though, Schumacher once again set all three sectors purple to go top on a 1:17.986.

With a running order established, the top ten held Schumacher at its helm, with Button second and Fernando improving to a 1:18.529 to sit third. Giancarlo was fourth, Raikkonen fifth, Massa sixth, Barrichello seventh, Ralf eighth, Trulli ninth and Heidfeld tenth.

Fernando moved to second on a 1:18.401, before Massa took the spot from him with a 1:18.021. Button was pushed from second to fourth, leaving Giancarlo fifth. Massa however was absolutely banging out the quick laps and took over from Schumacher at the head of the times on a 1:17.698 with exactly half the session gone. Giancarlo meanwhile was also on a charge and took second place with a 1:17.756 before everyone jumped into the pits for new tyres.

With fresh rubber Schumacher was straight back on one, lapping in 1:15.862. But Fernando was on a level all on his own to take provisional pole on 1:14.875, ahead of Giancarlo, Massa and Schumacher.

With three minutes left, Fernando came in for new tyres, and Schumacher followed suit. He was straight on the pace, quickest in all three sectors to increase his time to a 1:14.648. But Schumacher was ready to answer him, fastest in the first sector, but losing time in sector two. With one final push he gave everything… and finished third, behind Fernando and a brilliant Giancarlo.

A Renault F1 Team front row was a superb achievement for the team, beating the Ferrari challenge of Schumacher and Massa onto the second row. Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher make up row three ahead of Trulli and Button with Raikkonen and Heidfeld taking ninth and tenth spots.

Fernando saluted the crowd on his slow down lap as if he’d just taken a victory. The battle for pole had been won, the crowd were elated, but the war for the race was only hours away, and the chances were that nobody within the vicinity of the Barcelona was going to get any sleep tonight.