Montoya Claims Dramatic Pole at Spa

Williams sensation Juan Pablo Montoya blew away new World Champion Michael Schumacher as he stormed to an incredible pole position on a drying track to spoil the Ferrari party and secure a Williams front row lock-out.

Michael Schumacher looked to have displayed his supremacy in wet conditions and his mastery of a Spa-Francorchamps circuit on which he has four past victories, but he did not reckon on the late charge from Williams' pair. In the dying seconds, Montoya and teammate Ralf Schumacher traded fastest laps as the track became faster and faster, but in the end it was the confident Colombian who claimed top spot an astonishing 0.8 seconds ahead.

Schumacher had to settle for third, with Heinz-Harald Frentzen pulling out a surprise late lap to claim a second row grid spot in fourth and secure a fantastic result for the Prost team. Just half an hour before qualifying the heavens opened to ensure that no car ventured out on the track until 25 minutes of the session had gone.

Unsurprisingly that car was the Minardi of Tarso Marques, who struggled in the conditions and lost control at the La Source hairpin as he begun his first timed lap. Slowly the bigger names began to put in banker laps as the sun shone up the still-misty mountains, and with 25 minutes of the session remaining Mika Hakkinen went to the top of the times with a lap of just more than two minutes.

With the track drying, it was clear that the times would continue to drop, and Hakkinen crept into the sub-two minute bracket soon after, only to be beaten by his teammate David Coulthard and Ferrari rival Michael Schumacher in quick succession.

The order continued to shuffle but Schumacher, with an expectedly impressive performance on the wet track, set a tough time to beat, some 0.8 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.

The Jaguars of Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa had problems at Les Combes and went off track within four minutes of each other, soon after which Jarno Trulli had a brief excursion as he headed into the bus stop chicane.

Rubens Barrichello claimed fifth for Ferrari, with Jacques Villeneuve sixth for British American Racing, and the McLaren pair of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard down in seventh and ninth places respectively. Giancarlo Fisichella put in a good performance for Benetton to claim a top-ten grid placing with eighth fastest time.

There were four drivers who did not make the 107 percent time, so both Arrows of Jos Verstappen and Enrique Bernoldi and both Minardis of Tarso Marques and Fernando Alonso will not start unless the FIA make an exception.

Pos Driver Team Times 1. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:52.072 223.828 km/h 2. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:52.959 + 0.887 3. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:54.685 + 2.613 4. Frentzen Prost Acer (M) 1:55.233 + 3.161 5. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:56.116 + 4.044 6. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:57.038 + 4.966 7. Hakkinen Mclaren Mercedes (B) 1:57.043 + 4.971 8. Fisichella Benetton Renault (M) 1:57.668 + 5.596 9. Coulthard Mclaren Mercedes (B) 1:58.008 + 5.936 10. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:58.519 + 6.447 11. Panis BAR Honda (B) 1:58.838 + 6.766 12. Raikkonen Sauber Petronas (B) 1:59.050 + 6.978 13. Alesi Jordan Honda (B) 1:59.128 + 7.056 14. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:59.302 + 7.230 15. Button Benetton Renault (M) 1:59.587 + 7.515 16. Trulli Jordan Honda (B) 1:59.647 + 7.575 17. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:59.689 + 7.617 18. Burti Prost Acer (M) 1:59.900 + 7.828 19. Verstappen Arrows Asiatech (B) 2:02.039 + 9.967 * 20. Alonso Minardi European (M) 2:02.594 + 10.522 * 21. Bernoldi Arrows Asiatech (B) 2:03.048 + 10.976 * 22. Marques Minardi European (M) 2:04.204 + 12.132 * * Outside 107% All Timing Unofficial