Schumacher sorry to miss out on pole

The German driver, however, admitted he was happy to see championship rival Fernando Alonso three places behind.

Schumacher, in what will be his final European appearance if he announces on Sunday that he is retiring at the end of the season, was beaten to the top spot by McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen in the dying seconds of the session, the Finn winding up 0.002 seconds ahead.

"The car is going very well," said Schumacher. "We have been here at the test quite strong and consistent, so it is a comfortable position to be in.

"It is a tight battle and it would be nice to be on pole for our home Grand Prix but it's more important to try and achieve a good result tomorrow," added the German, whose title rival Alonso will start from fifth position after problems during the session.

"It is better than having beside or in front of me," said Schumacher, 12 points behind Alonso with four races remaining.

"it is more an ideal situation," added the seven-time champion, who will start in front of BMW's Nick Heidfeld, a surprising third today.

"I am happy for Nick to be up on the podium, another German fellow, and good for the position to start the race. There are a lot of promising moments for us."

Schumacher's teammate Felipe Massa, winner of the last race in Turkey, will start from fourth place.