Kimi on pole as Schumi and Alonso get penalty

As Michael Schumacher gets the same penalty as Fernando Alonso for overtaking under red flag, both drivers had a hard time to qualify for the 2nd and 3rd session. Michael Schumacher is 12th on the grid and Fernando Alonso 15th. Kimi Raikkonen, the Finnish McLaren driver, snatched pole again like last weekend at Hockenheimring.

Session 1

As the session commenced, news spread that both Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso had been given two second penalties for each part of the qualifying hour, Schumacher for passing under red flags in practice, and Alonso for an on-track altercation with Robert Doornbos yesterday.

Ralf Schumacher was the early pace-setter on a 1:24.231 ahead of Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg, but with five minutes gone it was the Super Aguri of Sakon Yamamoto which occupied the top slot with a 1:24.016.

Rubens Barrichello then lowered the bar to a 1:23.251 before David Coulthard took a second out of the Brazilian to lead on a 1:22.152. Alonso was the next on top, with a 1:20.420 to lead Button, Klien and Coulthard as the quick laps came in thick and fast.

With just over five minutes remaining Kimi Raikkonen went to the top of the pile with a 1:20.080 as Rosberg, Heidfeld, Fisichella, Michael Schumacher, Massa and Kubica occupied the drop zone with no times set for any other than Rosberg.

Felipe Massa was on a charge and blasted to the top with his first lap, a 1:19.742, before Michael Schumacher took the place from him with a 1:19.440.

As the clock ran down Yamamoto, Albers, Sato, Speed, Rosberg and Liuzzi were in the drop zone, as Schumacher and Alonso’s times, even with a two second penalty, were good enough to keep them in.

Session 2

Robert Kubica was the first driver out on track in the second session and duly was the first man to go top with a 1:20.712. His team-mate Nick Heidfeld however took the place from him on a 1:20.623 with five minutes of the session gone.

Michael Schumacher however was straight on incredible pace again with a 1:19.462 to lead his countryman Heidfeld by over a second. Fisichella popped up into second with half the session remaining on a 1:20.614 as still nobody could get within a second of Schumacher.

All that changed when Jenson Button, who will face a ten-place grid penalty for changing his engine, took a 1:19.943 to go second, before his team-mate Barrichello demoted him to third with a 1:19.783.

With five minutes left, Raikkonen went second on a 1:19.704 until he was displaced by Massa who went second on a 1:19.504.

With three minutes left, Monteiro, Alonso, Klien, Webber, Coulthard and Kubica were all in the relegation zone, although with Schumacher’s time penalty the Pole would be saved and the multiple champ would be excluded.

But then Schumacher pulled out something incredible… a 1:18.875. It was an unbelievable lap, but it still wasn’t enough to save him. The two-second penalty put him on a 1:20.875 and saw him finish 12th. Fernando improved to go P2, but his time, with penalty, would leave him 15th.

Out at this point then went Monteiro, Alonso, Klien, Coulthard, Schumacher and Heidfeld.

Session 3

Going through to the top ten shootout then were Massa, Raikkonen, Barrichello, Button, de la Rosa, Webber, Fisichella, Trulli, Ralf Schumacher and Robert Kubica.

Kubica was the first out, and the first to set a lap, taking top spot on a 1:26.382, before Fisichella immediately took the position with a 1:25.129. Massa however was in no mood to hang around and took top honours on a 1:24.991.

But it was Ralf Schumacher who set the pace on that first flying lap, ultimately finishing top of the group of ten with a 1:23.965, lowering it to a 1:23.907 next time through.

With nine minutes left, Fisichella asserted his authority with a 1:22.752 to take P1 as Kubica, Webber and Trulli battle over tenth, four seconds off the pace.

With half the session gone, everyone came in for new tyres. Massa made instant use of his. After seeing Fisichella extend his lead on a 1:20.924, the Brazilian smashed in a 1:19.886 for P1.

Barrichello was second, de la Rosa third and Raikkonen fourth with three minutes left as the Toyotas pitted for more fresh rubber. Massa too was in for new tyres as was Raikkonen, Webber et al.

With a minute to go however nobody was going any faster… and then they somehow managed to. Trulli and Ralf Schumacher managed to pull themselves off tenth, with Kubica getting that slot and Trulli ninth. Fisichella finished eighth with Ralf Schumacher seventh, Webber sixth and de la Rosa fifth.

But out of nowhere, Button leapt up into second behind Massa only to be pipped again by Barrichello who snatched P2 away from him.

But more was to come. As the clock ran out, Kimi Raikkonen put in a blistering lap to take pole position on a 1:19.599 with Massa second, Barrichello third and Button fourth.

With the championship contenders way down the field for tomorrow’s race, it should be an intriguing race.