Schumacher takes pole position in Austria
Saturday, 12 May 2001 20:08Formula One world championship leader Michael Schumacher had little difficulty in securing his fifth pole position in six races at the Austrian Grand Prix in Zeltweg today. Schumacher finished 0.1 seconds ahead of the Williams of Colombia's Juan Pablo Montoya, who earned his first ever front row start. Despite almost colliding with the careering Arrows car of Dutchman Jos Verstappen, Schumacher swept aside the opposition to give himself an excellent chance to claim his first ever win at the A-1 ring tomorrow.
This morning's practice pacesetter, David Coulthard, finished a disappointing seventh, while his McLaren team-mate Mika Hakkinen produced his worst qualifying performance of the season and will start the race in eighth position. The result has severely damaged Coulthard's hopes of cutting the eight-point margin that separates the Scot from the German in the drivers' table.
Schumacher's brother Ralf was third quickest in the other Williams with Brazil's Rubens Barrichello fourth in his Ferrari. Jordan's Jarno Trulli finished fifth ahead of Nick Heidfeld in the Sauber, however Trulli's team-mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen could only manage eleventh position. Ulsterman Eddie Irvine was 13th for Jaguar Racing, his worst qualifying showing of the campaign, while England's Jenson Button qualified a lowly 21st for Benetton for the third race in succession.
Filed by James Boylan
