Jarno Trulli salvaged what was shaping up to be a miserable weekend for the Toyota team by winning the pole on Saturday for the United States Grand Prix.
Trulli timed 1 minute, 10.625 seconds around the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to earn the first pole for Toyota. Earlier, teammate Ralf Schumacher wasn't medically cleared to race after his hard accident during a practice session.
"It has been a difficult time for everybody here," Trulli said. "For sure it is a mixed emotion weekend."
But the Italian driver gave Toyota something to briefly cheer about in its breakthrough fourth season in Formula One. Trulli, in his first season with the team, gave Toyota its previous best qualifying effort with a pair of seconds to open the season.
He finally earned his first pole of the season -- third career -- and first since the Belgium Grand Prix in 2004.
"I am really glad with the outcome today," said Trulli, third in the world championship standings. "But it is still kind of emotional."
Toyota quickly fell behind after Schumacher and test driver Ricardo Zonta both crashed in Friday practice. Both accidents were attributed to tire failure, leaving Michelin officials scrambling to figure out what was wrong with its tires.
Michelin officials said on Saturday they were trying to ship a fresh batch from its France warehouse to replace the rubber already on site in what the supplier called a safety precaution.
But other drivers using Michelin tires said they had no problem with their supply and thought Toyota's troubles may have stemmed from aggressive setups.
Either way, Trulli showed no fear on his tires, speeding around the 13-turn course and taking his Toyota to the top.
He then had to hold off late runs by Kimi Raikkonen and the Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello to keep the top starting spot.
Raikkonen, the final driver to qualify and winner last weekend of the Canadian Grand Prix, almost snatched the pole away but finished second in a McLaren-Mercedes with a time of 1 minute, 10.694 seconds.
"Yes I am happy," Raikkonen said. "Of course, I would rather be in first place."
Jenson Button, the polesitter last weekend in the Canadian Grand Prix, qualified his BAR-Honda third.
Giancarlo Fisichella was fourth in a Renault, followed by Michael Schumacher, the two-time defending race winner. World championship points leader Fernando Alonso was sixth in a Renault.
Zonta, the replacement driver for Ralf Schumacher, wound up 13th.
"Yesterday's events mean this is not an ideal situation for the whole team, and I am especially sorry for Ralf," said Zonta, who was the first driver to attempt to qualify. "Of course, I'm glad to be back with a chance to race the car."
Zonta normally only practices a third car for Toyota on the opening day of Grand Prix events. That changed following Ralf Schumacher's accident.
Schumacher wasn't seriously injured when his car spun coming out of the final turn and backed into a part of the wall protected by the energy-absorbing SAFER Barrier.
The German driver appeared to be in pain when he climbed from the car, but medical personnel checked and released him. He later went to a local hospital to have his eye examined after complaining of an irritation.
When he arrived at the track on Saturday, an FIA medical delegate ruled that it would be unsafe for Schumacher to race because of the dangers another hard impact could cause. Schumacher sustained a serious concussion and two broken vertebrae in a similar accident here last season.
"This news is obviously very disappointing for myself and for the team," Schumacher said.
Juan Pablo Montoya, the fastest driver in three of the four practice sessions, followed Zonta out on the track for qualifying.
He was forced to qualify his McLaren-Mercedes early as punishment for his disqualification last weekend in Canada. With thousands of Colombian fans cheering him on, Montoya posted a lap that put him on top of the board.
It lasted just minutes, though, as the Renaults of Fisichella and Alonso both bested him on the speed chart.
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