Fernando Alonso continued his dominance this season by securing his fifth consecutive pole position following a brilliant display in qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Renault's world champion, fresh from three straight wins, was once again in a league of his own, with his lap of one minute 14.942 seconds comfortably clear of the chasing pack.
Giancarlo Fisichella emphasised Renault's impressive form by taking second place, 0.236secs slower than Alonso, to give the world champions a clean sweep of the front row.
McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen performed well to take third place on the Montreal track where he won 12 months ago, out-performing team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya, who was down in seventh.
After reportedly agreeing a new three-year Toyota contract, Jarno Trulli returned to form to take fourth place and earn his highest grid spot this season as he chases his first points in 2006.
Ferrari's Michael Schumacher was disappointing and starts fifth, giving him a mountain to climb if he is to eat into Alonso's 23-point championship lead.
Williams rookie Nico Rosberg was a fine sixth while Jenson Button managed to avoid a repeat of his Silverstone qualifying embarrassment to claim eighth on the grid.
F1 Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal, Canada
Grid positions after qualifying:
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1min 14.942secs, 2 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 1:15.178, 3 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren 1:15.386, 4 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:15.968, 5 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari 1:15.986, 6 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:16.012, 7 Juan Montoya (Col) McLaren 1:16.228, 8 Jenson Button (Gbr) Honda 1:16.608, 9 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Honda 1:16.912, 10 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:17.209, 11 Jacques Villeneuve (Can) BMW Sauber 1:15.832, 12 Christian Klien (Aut) Red Bull 1:15.833, 13 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:15.885, 14 Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 1:15.888, 15 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:16.116, 16 David Coulthard (Gbr) Red Bull 1:16.301, 17 Mark Webber (Aus) Williams 1:16.985, 18 Scott Speed (USA) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:17.016, 19 Tiago Monteiro (Por) Midland 1:17.121, 20 Christijan Albers (Ned) Midland 1:17.140, 21 Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri 1:19.088, 22 Franck Montagny (Fra) Super Aguri 1:19.152
