Schumacher blasts to Australia pole position

World champion Michael Schumacher took pole position for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix as Ferrari started the Formula One season with ...

World champion Michael Schumacher took pole position for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix as Ferrari started the Formula One season with the front row to themselves.

Schumacher blasted round the Albert Park circuit in a record time of one minute 24.408, a mere 0.074 quicker than his teammate Rubens Barrichello.

It was the 56th pole of the German’s career and a carbon copy of qualifying for last year’s race, in which neither Ferrari driver finished on the podium.

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Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, whose Williams had been quickest after the first run of the new back-to-back qualifying format, was third fastest alongside Briton Jenson Button in a BAR on the second row.

Fernando Alonso, in a Renault, and Jaguar’s Australian hope Mark Webber filled the third row ahead of Takuma Sato in a BAR and Montoya’s team mate Ralf Schumacher. (Reuters)

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