Michael Schumacher rolled back the years yesterday with the fastest lap in qualifying for today’s Monaco Grand Prix, although Australian Red Bull driver Mark Webber will start the race from pole position.
It was a great lap, but to little real avail because he brought a five-place grid penalty with him to the Monaco race weekend from the Spanish Grand Prix, following his collision there with Brazilian Bruno Senna of Lotus.
Pole will be taken by Webber, who posted the second-fastest lap.
Schumacher’s best lap of 1 minute, 14.301 seconds stunned his team and his rivals.
Fellow German, and Mercedes teammate, Nico Rosberg was third fastest ahead of Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, Romain Grosjean of Lotus, two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and his teammate, Felipe Massa.
Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 champion, was eighth for Lotus ahead of Pastor Maldonado of Williams and defending champion Sebastian Vettel.
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