Schumacher takes pole in Spain

Alan Baldwin World champion Michael Schumacher saw off an audacious late challenge by Mika Hakkinen to put his Ferrari back on pole position for Sunday's Spanish Formula One Grand Prix.

It was Schumacher's fourth pole in five races this season and his second in a row in Spain, providing the perfect antidote to the disappointment in San Marino Grand Prix two weeks ago.

"We are back up where we want to be," he said after Saturday's qualifying session.

Hakkinen was second fastest, with team mate David Coulthard making up the second row with Brazilian Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello who was fourth quickest.

At Imola, Coulthard ended Schumacher's run of seven successive poles, leaving him one short of the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna's all-time record of eight.

The German was forced to make a rare start from the second row and failed to finish the race.

This time Schumacher did not even need to use all his 12 qualifying laps to make his point in the first qualifying session run with legal traction control since 1993.

He called it a day after just eight in bright sunshine at the Circuit de Catalunya when he had set a best time of one minute 18.201 seconds with 13 minutes remaining of the one hour session.

Schumacher's time was more than two seconds faster than his 2000 pole of 1:20.974. He has now been on pole eight times in the last nine races.

DISAPPOINTED

Hakkinen, winner in Spain for the last three years, almost snatched pole with his last flying lap begun just before the chequered flag had come down to end the session. But he fell 0.085 seconds short.

"I'm a bit disappointed to be honest," said the Finn, who has taken just four points so far this season and lags championship leaders Schumacher and Coulthard by a hefty 22.

Hakkinen said that he had turned off the traction control to set his fastest time and clinch his front row position.

"If you have some problems with the car on some corners, you can fix it with the throttle," he explained. "Traction control sometimes doesn't allow you to do it in some places."

Schumacher said strategy would play a big part on Sunday as teams came to terms with the new electronics but he was sceptical about any advantages to be gained by turning off the traction control on race day.

"You may get an advantage with it in qualifying but then in the race I think it is another story," he said.

"Of course you want to be quickest but you know when you are out there whether you are doing the maximum or not," said Coulthard.

"On the last run I didn't complete the run properly because of a little bit of traffic.

"I think it's still a reasonable position for the race, clean side of the track and if the system works properly at the start there's a good opportunity to make places."

The introduction of the new electronic systems made no difference to the familiar look of the front end of the grid.

Ralf Schumacher, winner in Imola for Williams, was fifth fastest ahead of the Jordan of Italian Jarno Trulli.

The main surprises were provided by Brazilian Luciano Burti, qualifying in a Prost for the first time after joining the team last week with a fractionally faster lap than his French team mate Jean Alesi, and Spaniard Fernando Alonso.

Alonso won the battle between the local drivers, qualifying his Minardi in 18th place ahead of both the Benettons and the Jaguar of his compatriot Pedro de la Rosa.

De la Rosa drove into the pit lane's concrete wall, damaging his car, during a morning free practice session after what looked like a steering failure. He qualified 20th.