Schumacher might have been faster

"Maybe I could have been a bit quicker because on my best run as I had to back off for yellow flags in the second sector," he said. "You never know what to expect from qualifying, but today went well for us. I aborted my first run because I went a bit wide at the first turn and went onto the grass."

Schumacher has now taken pole position on all three of Grand Prix racing's visits to the Brickyard, and is looking for his second win at the venue in Sunday's race.

Team-mate Rubens Barrichello, who will line up alongside the German on the front-row of the grid, was happy with his progress after losing all of Friday practice after crashing heavily at Turn 13.

"After my problem yesterday, it has been a case of playing catch-up," said the Brazilian. "I found it difficult to get that right balance on my car in the session as it seemed to change with every run, possibly due to the track conditions and the wind. The setup is always a bit of a gamble here and making the last little improvements on the car is very hard.

"In the end, I never managed to put together all my best sector times on one lap, but to be first and second is a very good result. The car reacts well, and we will have a good and stable car for the race."