Murray Walker's Qualifying Notes
The Nurburgring is just like the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa and for the same reasons. It is in the same area (only 50 miles from Spa) and because of the nearby Eifel mountains the weather is uncertain and changeable. It can be blue skies and sunshine one minute, black clouds and driving rain the next - and that was just what happened in qualifying.
The ultimate grid positions could have been a lottery, but they worked out pretty fairly in the end to reflect the top men.
After finishing second in Spain and winning the British Grand Prix a fortnight before, David Coulthard was again masterful to set his first pole of this year, and the ninth of his career. But Michael Schumacher was just one-tenth behind him and Mika Hakkinen was next up just two-tenths away, although he was never really happy with the handling of his car.
Hakkinen was followed by Rubens Barrichello, so we have two Ferraris and two McLarens on the first two rows followed by the magnificent Ralf Schumacher in the Williams-BMW fifth.
Eddie Irvine showed some improvement for Jaguar in eighth place, but sadly it all seemed to go wrong again for his team-mate Johnny Herbert, who's future at Jaguar is under threat. He starts 17th.
Jenson Button went out at the wrong time and starts 11th, but the race is still to come and he has been immensely impressive all year.
Whether conditions for the race day are fantastic or as unpredictable as they have in qualifying, well your guess is as good as mine. Coulthard is on pole and a noted fast starter. With his ambition running high he could be on for his second win of 2000, but having said that Michael Schumacher is my choice for victory. Tune into ITV and we will see.
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