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Fisichella secures provisional pole

Giancarlo Fisichella of Italy steers his Renault around the Albert Park street circuit during the fourth practice session of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, yesterday. The race is scheduled to be run today. PHOTO: EPA

Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella secured provisional pole position Saturday as heavy rain ruined Michael Schumacher's run in the first round of Formula One's new qualifying format for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

Fisichella set the fastest time of 1 minute, 33.171 seconds in the lap before a sudden downpour over Albert Park made conditions slippery for the last eight drivers, including Ferrari's defending Australian GP and series champion Schumacher, and the McLarens of Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya.

A second qualifying session will be held Sunday morning, with Fisichella expected to hold the lead after times from both sessions are combined to determine grid positions.

"I'm really happy about my position. I've been very lucky, I went out in the right position and as soon as I finished my fast lap, it started raining," said Fisichella. "I have a big gap with some of my competitors."

Toyota's Jarno Trulli was 2.1 seconds behind Fisichella, making it Italians in first and second places. Next were Williams' Australian driver Mark Webber and former world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who spun his Sauber before recovering to clock 1:36.984.

PHOTO: EPA

Red Bull pair Christian Klien and David Coulthard were fifth and sixth, followed by Nick Heidfeld in the other Williams and Jenson Button in the BAR-Honda.

They could be candidates to push Fisichella for pole position. But Schumacher, among the most severely affected by the rain, was about 25 seconds behind the leader and has almost no chance of returning to the front of the grid.

"As far as we're concerned, the matter is over, but the message is clear. Simply, we want stability and we want clear, precise regulations."

Paul Stoddart, owner of the Minardi racing team

"All I can say about today is that we're unlucky," said Schumacher, who has won the last five drivers' championships. "The weather has so often played in my favor that I can accept it was not the case this time."

The first 11 cars had cleared most of the dampness from a pre-session storm for Fisichella.

"I have a very good feeling," said Fisichella. "I will drive conservative tomorrow [in qualifying] because the most important thing is to win the pole position. It's the best start of my life."

The 32-year-old Italian, who has just one GP title and one pole position in 141 races, wasn't the only driver counting his luck.

Trulli said it was the ideal start for him with Toyota.

"I couldn't have asked for a better start than to be second quickest in what was a very hectic qualifying," he said. "We were lucky with the track conditions, but even though I had a benefit, it was still a quick lap compared to the runners who were out in similar conditions."

In an unusual twist, ninth-placed Narain Karthikeyan -- India's first F1 driver -- his fellow Jordan rookie Tiago Monteiro (13th), and the Minardis of Christijan Albers (15th) and Patrick Friesacher (16th) are ahead of brothers Ralf (17th) and Michael Schumacher (18th).

McLaren cars were consistently fastest in the four practice sessions, but finished 10th and 11th in qualifying. Raikkonen recorded 1:44.997, just ahead of new teammate Montoya.

"That was a real shame for us today," said Montoya. "I think the only guy who is really happy is Fisichella.

"I did my best, but it was too slippery out there and the car went sideways a couple of times."

Ferrari No. 2 Rubens Barrichello, runner-up in the 2004 drivers' standings, was 12th.

Sauber's Felipe Massa was on the track with 25 minutes to go in the session when the heavy rain started.

He didn't set a time, while BAR-Honda's Takuma Sato slipped off at turn 8 on the first of his three scheduled laps and damaged his front right wheel. He got out of the car and walked off the track as marshals held out the red flag. The rain eased after a truck removed Sato's car.

Meanwhile Michael Schumacher, who followed Massa onto the circuit, could only manage 1:57.931 -- seven seconds slower than the slowest Minardi, the regular stragglers.

"Obviously the result will impact greatly on the race," said Schumacher. "All the same, we will try and bring home some points."

Webber was fifth here on debut in a Minardi three years ago, when an early crash took out some of his rivals. He said he was lucky again Saturday in his first big drive since joining Williams from Jaguar.

Minardi drivers Albers and Friesacher were first out in qualifying, clearing water off the track from rain just before qualifying.

Minardi's bid to override race stewards at the season-opening Grand Prix with legal action in a local court has infuriated F1's governing body and jeopardized Australia's standing as a host for auto racing world championship events.

FIA issued a statement yesterday responding to an injunction that Minardi's Australian owner Paul Stoddart was granted by a Victoria (state) Supreme Court, allowing Minardi to enter qualifying for today's race despite a stewards' ban because the cars did not meet design specifications.

"If Australian laws do indeed allow a judge to act in this way, it will be for the World Motor Sport Council to decide if a world championship motor sport event of any kind can ever again be held in Australia," FIA, which sanctions F1 and the world rally series, said.

After winning the injunction, Stoddart decided against going ahead with legal action and, instead, his team modified the cars to fulfill new aerodynamic guidelines introduced this season.

The cars were passed by technical delegates and placed 15th and 16th -- ahead of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher (18th) -- in a rain-affected first qualifying session later Saturday.

FIA said it wasn't warned about Friday's court action, although it was invited to a hearing yesterday, after qualifying.

"Apparently the judge thought it right to interfere with the running of a major sporting event, overrule the duly appointed international officials and compel the governing body to allow cars to participate in breach of the international regulations," the statement said. "All this without first hearing both sides of the case."

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who didn't travel Down Under for the Australian GP, is reportedly furious with Stoddart.

After all his talk about not having enough parts, time or money to make his cars conform with new bodywork regulations, and chasing the signatures of all his rival F1 team principals to support his bid for an exemption, Stoddart said his major aim had been to prove a point.

"We've made the point, we've taken it as far as we needed to take it and throughout the night, we've managed to convert two of the cars to 2005 specifications," Stoddart said. "As far as we're concerned, the matter is over, but the message is clear. Simply, we want stability and we want clear, precise regulations."

Stoddart gained attention for the struggling F1 team and for himself -- all good publicity ahead of the launch of his airline in Australia later this year.

Originally, he hadn't wanted to spend money upgrading his 2004 cars to meet 2005 specifications when his new cars, under a new engine deal negotiated late in November, would be ready for the fourth race of this year's series.

Stoddart said he only went ahead with the modifications after FIA representatives tried to blackmail him to withdraw his legal action by saying FIA president Max Mosley would cancel the Australian Grand Prix.

"I stated my disgust ... [but] I agreed, in the interests of the Australian Grand Prix, to comply with their request," Stoddart countered in a later statement.

"We weren't joking, we didn't have all the parts," said Stoddart. "Anyone who was around last night knows that we've been cutting parts -- have a look at the body work, you'll see that it's been cut and glued everywhere.

"We haven't got spares. If we have any offs, that's our weekend finished."
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