I Could Have been Quicker, Says Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya eclipsed Ferrari's World Champion Michael Schumacher for the second race in a row to put his Williams on pole position for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.

The Colombian, also fastest in Monaco two weeks ago, clinched his third pole of 2002 and sixth of his Formula One career with a blistering lap of 1:12.836 seconds around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but claimed he could have gone faster.

"Everything went really smoothly, the car is good and has been all weekend," said Montoya, grinning broadly as he sat between the second and third placed Ferrari drivers at a post-qualifying news conference.

"I gave it a good go and if I'd really put all the sectors together I could have been faster."

Schumacher leads Montoya and brother Ralf in the Championship by 33 points and his record-equalling fifth title has been seen as a foregone conclusion. But the German's rivals are fighting back and Montoya ended the champion's hopes of a fourth Montreal pole in a row with the fastest lap half an hour into the hour-long session.

In a break from the routine, with the slower Minardis normally acting as roadsweepers before the big teams hit the track, the Williams drivers went out first as forecasts predicted rain before the hour was out.

"We were really expecting the rain a little earlier," said Montoya, squirting water surreptitiously at Barrichello throughout the news conference while trying to keep a straight face for the cameras.

Montoya's time was nearly three seconds faster than Schumacher's 2001 pole, although the island circuit in the St Lawrence river has been modified and slightly shortened.

The Colombian and German rivals, who clashed on track early in the season, will line up alongside each other on the front row for the third time this year with the balance tipping in favour of the Williams driver.