Falling signboards halt qualifying

In the worst incident Jean Alesi was lucky to escape injury when a six foot laminated cardboard Marlboro sign fell into his path as he was braking down from 200 miles an hour on the pit straight.

It dropped from a gantry above the circuit in front of the Prost's right wheel, tearing away a section of the front wing as he headed into the Senna S chicane.

The session was just 29 minutes old when the a section tumbled onto the pit straight from an overhead metal gantry and the red flag came out for four minutes while the track was cleared.

Mika Hakkinen improved on his pole time and then, incredibly, another banner crashed to the ground just seven minutes later.

This time it took marshalls 11 minutes to tear down a flapping and
semi-collapsed laminated cardboard sign as well as tidying up the tarmac.

Six minutes later as the winds increased another sign - the biggest yet - went tumbling to the ground as Alesi sped past.

Before the track could be cleared the heavens opened and any chance of meaningful dry track running was lost in the deluge.

Michael Schumacher, third on the grid said "it is strange that nothing happens for one and half days and then suddenly it happens in qualifying three times."

"It is disturbing that someone's life was put at risk - but it was not done intentionally," he added.

"Its a disaster but fortunately no-one was hurt," said world champion Mika Hakkinen.