Rubens Barrichello confirmed he has world championship credentials of his own by posting the fastest time in the first qualifying session at the Australian Grand Prix.
The Brazilian has lived in the shadow of Ferrari team-mate Michael Schumacher for the last four years, often having to sacrifice victory for the good of the team, but believes he is in a position to mount a significant challenge this season.
And so it proved today as the 30-year-old turned in a storming lap at Albert Park, taking the new-look qualifying system by the scruff of the neck.
Barrichello was second out and flashed round the Melbourne track in one minute 26.372 seconds to leapfrog Schumacher and win himself the advantage of going out last in the crucial final qualifying session tomorrow afternoon.
In an intriguing session, he was not the only one to surpass the five-times world champion. First McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen maintained his rapid progression as a major Formula One force by securing second place with a time less than two tenths of a second outside Barrichello's mark.
Then, it was Jacques Villeneuve's turn. The only other F1 world champion in the field and a man comfortable with the `flying lap' system after his successful times in CART racing, Villeneuve's engine had exploded after only five laps of the morning practice.
But he had promised the new-look BAR would be a competitive beast, and he delivered on that by clocking the only other sub 1min 27secs lap time to finish third. Schumacher followed in fourth with Britain's Jenson Button, in the other BAR which had also blown its engine earlier in the day, securing a magnificent fifth.
In the other McLaren, David Coulthard clocked sixth place ahead of Renault pair Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli, who finished either side of Olivier Panis in the Toyota. Williams had a shocking day, with Juan Pablo Montoya relegated to 10th place and Ralph Schumacher 16th. British rookies Ralph Firman of Jordan and Justin Wilson both struggled, the latter finishing last behind the fourth new driver, Brazil's Antonio Pizzonia in the Jaguar.
Filed by Ciaran Cronin
