De la Rosa Shines as Alesi Suffers

Pedro de la Rosa reached a peak for Spain in Saturday's rain-hit qualifying for Sunday's German Grand Prix while France's Jean Alesi sank to a depressing low.

De la Rosa's personal best fifth place in his Arrows was the highest grid position achieved by a Spanish driver in Formula One history.

But Alesi managed only 20th fastest in a Prost -- the veteran's worst showing since his grand prix debut in 1989.

An Arrows gamble paid off as De la Rosa went out in the spare car early on. Rain fell later and turned the session into a lottery.

"I qualified in the T-car because my race car was still being prepared and we needed to get out very quickly," the Spaniard explained.

"I'm really pleased for the whole team as we've always been up there, but the results and full potential of the team have never materialised."

Team boss Alain Prost would have loved to have been in a similar position but the four times world champion was disappointed once again.

Nick Heidfeld's 13th place was comparable to what the inexperienced German has achieved all season but team mate Alesi -- the only Frenchman in the field -- had much higher expectations than a miserable spot on the 10th row.

Only the two Minardis were slower.

"This is a difficult moment for me and I want to forget about it very quickly," said Alesi, who said on Friday that he had been approached by other teams, hinting he might soon be leaving the ailing French stable.

"Starting 20th, it is difficult to hope for a good result."

Prost, who will lose Peugeot engines at the end of the season and is trying to save his team, attempted to remain philosophical.

"The most important thing now is to judge the race well," he said. "If it is raced in conditions similar to those today, it will not be so much a question of performance as of strategy."

Prost and the tiny Minardi outfit are the only teams without any world championship points this season. Arrows have just three, but at least they can hope De la Rosa delivers a few more.