Schuey: Pole could have been on

The world champion is confident for the race, as he will start alongside pole winner Juan Pablo Montoya on the front row.

But he admitted: "I am a little bit disappointed not to have been able to fight for pole right at the end. We might have been able to get pole - if you look at my sector times, we were very close but just didn't get it together.

"On my third run, which was my fastest one, I lost some time in the first sector. I knew where I had lost it and why, so I was optimistic for my last run, but then came the rain."

Ferrari's technical director Ross Brawn is confident that Schumacher can win the GP. "Tomorrow should see a very interesting race," he said. "Our engine was really strong in qualifying which was a help. The tyres seem to be holding up pretty well and I think the situation is similar to the one we experienced in Monaco. I am therefore optimistic."

Rubens Barrichello will start third in the second Ferrari. A small accident in practice earlier in the day left him playing catch-up for qualifying, and then he spun on his third run.