Qual: Tomczyk takes pole

Paffett topped the pre-qualifying session, narrowly clear of Audi's Tom Kristensen, but both fell foul of changing track conditions in Super Pole that were tricky to second-guess. Tomczyk admitted making a mistake on his flying lap, and was only expecting a place in the top five, so pole was a bonus.

"I'm certainly happy with pole, but I could have gone quicker," said Tomczyk. "The one thing I haven't managed to achieve this year is a win, so I'd like to prove a point tomorrow."

Schneider was pleased with front row starting slot, especially in light of his poor performance at Brno a fortnight ago: "It wasn't a perfect lap and I got dirt on my tyres, so I had to push really hard in the Motordrom to clean them off. Second position is more than I expected."

Schneider headed another two Mercs in the shape of Alesi and Paffett, while Ekstrom only just outpaced the Opel duo of Marcel Fassler and Peter Dumbreck for fifth. Kristensen fell back to eighth after a poor middle sector, while Christijan Albers (Mercedes) was only ninth after making a mistake. Christian Abt (Audi) rounded out the top 10.