Hynes pips Button for pole

Hynes will get the glory of starting the prestigious British Grand Prix support race from the prime spot on the grid, but only achieved that by 0.005s.

Button's Promatecme Dallara-Renault set a new pole position time on the penultimate lap of the session, only for Hynes to wind up his Manor Motorsport Dallara-Mugen Honda and snatch the initiative away just seconds later.

'I was coming through Bridge and I saw Jenson's time on the big TV screen,' laughed Hynes.

'They were following him round the lap so I thought, 'Shit, I'd better do something about it'.'

Button added, 'Then I saw the screen and saw they were on Marc! I'm unhappy with second, but all of us are very close at the top. It's amazing that the top three of us are so close on the longest circuit in the country.'

Chasing Hynes and Button, himself only 0.055s from pole position, was championship leader Luciano Burti, who was furious with a backmarker for costing his Stewart Racing Dallara-Mugen what he believed should have been fastest time.

'That was the only lap I didn't have oversteer,'' he glowered. 'The guy was just cruising around and stopped me in the complex - it's silly to lose pole position because of that. The car felt awesome - the best I've ever had at Silverstone.'

A long way adrift in fourth is Kristian Kolby, nevertheless happy to be nearer the front than of late in his Fortec Motorsport Dallara-Mugen.

Surprise men on the third row are Toby Scheckter, reversing his poor 1999 form, and improving midfielder Tim Spouge.

Both drivers made big improvements in the second session to edge out Indian Narain Karthikeyan.