Sunday Warm-Up - Belgian GP

Minardi driver Fernando Alonso escaped from a massive crash at the Stavelot corner during the morning warm-up session for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix

Spanish star Alonso, 20, lost control of his car on the exit of Stavelot and wiped out the entire right hand side of his car as he spun into the barriers on the left hand side of the track. Alonso spun rapidly back across the track, but was able to get out of his wrecked car as team-mate Tarso Marques stopped to ensure he was alright.

The Spaniard has passed a medical and will drive in the race but is being forced to use the Minardi spare car. Earlier, Jarno Trulli ruined his race preparations when he went wide at Les Combes and hit a bump on the ground that ripped off the front wing and bargeboards of his car.

The crash is also sure to have damaged the underside of the car, and it left him unable to steer as he crossed back over the track and came to rest by the barriers. Mika Hakkinen went off the track and over the gravel as he exited Rivage and Nick Heidfeld spun his Sauber at La Source, but both were able to continue.

The bus stop chicane continued to prove difficult with Hakkinen and his McLaren teammate David Coulthard, Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya and Heinz-Harald Frentzen all missing the apex. But it was Michael Schumacher who escaped incident to prove he will be the man to beat in the race by clocking a time more than a second faster than McLaren rival Mika Hakkinen.

Kimi Raikkonen was third fastest, with front row starter Ralf Schumacher fourth, Jaguar's Eddie Irvine fifth and Heinz-Harald Frentzen continuing his good form in sixth.

Pos Driver Team Times 1. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:49.495 229.095 km/h 2. Hakkinen Mclaren Mercedes (B) 1:50.694 + 1.199 3. Raikkonen Sauber Petronas (B) 1:50.738 + 1.243 4. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:50.776 + 1.281 5. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:50.818 + 1.323 6. Frentzen Prost Acer (M) 1:50.908 + 1.413 7. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:50.993 + 1.498 8. Trulli Jordan Honda (B) 1:51.062 + 1.567 9. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:51.317 + 1.822 10. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:51.394 + 1.899 11. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:51.418 + 1.923 12. Coulthard Mclaren Mercedes (B) 1:51.750 + 2.255 13. Alesi Jordan Honda (B) 1:52.338 + 2.843 14. Fisichella Benetton Renault (M) 1:52.436 + 2.941 15. Alonso Minardi European (M) 1:52.479 + 2.984 16. Panis BAR Honda (B) 1:52.519 + 3.024 17. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:52.903 + 3.408 18. Marques Minardi European (M) 1:52.908 + 3.413 19. Burti Prost Acer (M) 1:53.083 + 3.588 20. Verstappen Arrows Asiatech (B) 1:53.737 + 4.242 21. Bernoldi Arrows Asiatech (B) 1:54.472 + 4.977 22. Button Benetton Renault (M) 2:34.526 + 0:45.031 All Timing Unofficial