"Thank the motherfucking British, kids."

Giancarlo Fisichella, Australian GP 2005© The Cahier Archive>

Formula 1's idea to have aggregated qualifying proved to be a complete> mess in Melbourne on Saturday as a rain storm in the middle of the> session screwed the hopes of some of the big stars. Michael Schumacher> ended up 18th over night 24.7secs off the pole position set by> Giancarlo Fisichella's Renault. With that kind of disadvantage> Schumacher has no chance of anything other than a mid-grid starting> position. Others to suffer were Kimi Raikkonen (10th and 11secs off> pole), Juan Pablo Montoya (11th and 12secs), Rubens Barrichello (12th> and 12secs), Fernando Alonso (14th and 14secs), and Ralf Schumacher> (17th and 18secs). Felipe Massa had the worst of it going out on dry> tyres and having to pit without a time, while Takuma Sato screwed up> and crashed.>

This left a very odd grid with Fisichella a deserved provisional pole> man, two seconds ahead of Jarno Trulli. Unless weather intervenes on> Sunday morning Fisichella will not be caught. Mark Webber was third> ahead of Jacques Villeneuve, who spun his Sauber on his warm-up lap,> and the two Red Bulls of Christian Klien and David Coulthard. The top> 10 was completed by Nick Heidfeld, Jenson Button, Narain Karthikeyan> (who also spun on his out lap).>

Sunday qualifying may change a few positions but the gaps between the> drivers are so big that change is unlikely.>

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"Thank the motherfucking British, kids."

grandprix.com>How not to go qualifying>

Giancarlo Fisichella, Australian GP 2005© The Cahier Archive>

Formula 1's idea to have aggregated qualifying proved to be a complete>mess in Melbourne on Saturday as a rain storm in the middle of the>session screwed the hopes of some of the big stars. Michael Schumacher>ended up 18th over night 24.7secs off the pole position set by>Giancarlo Fisichella's Renault. With that kind of disadvantage>Schuma­cher has no chance of anything other than a mid-grid starting>position. Others to suffer were Kimi Raikkonen (10th and 11secs off>pole), Juan Pablo Montoya (11th and 12secs), Rubens Barrichello (12th>and 12secs), Fernando Alonso (14th and 14secs), and Ralf Schumacher>(17th and 18secs). Felipe Massa had the worst of it going out on dry>tyres and having to pit without a time, while Takuma Sato screwed up>and crashed.>

This left a very odd grid with Fisichella a deserved provisional pole>man, two seconds ahead of Jarno Trulli. Unless weather intervenes on>Sunday morning Fisichella will not be caught. Mark Webber was third>ahead of Jacques Villeneuve, who spun his Sauber on his warm-up lap,>and the two Red Bulls of Christian Klien and David Coulthard. The top>10 was completed by Nick Heidfeld, Jenson Button, Narain Karthikeyan>(who also spun on his out lap).>

Sunday qualifying may change a few positions but the gaps between the>drivers are so big that change is unlikely.>

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"Thank the motherfucking British, kids."