Ferrari fill front row for second successive time

Michael Schumacher seized pole position for the French Formula One Grand Prix yesterday as Ferrari swept the front row for the second race in succession.

The 37-year-old German, seven times a winner at the Magny-Cours circuit, lapped a mere 0.017 seconds quicker than Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa for his 68th career pole and fourth in 11 races.

The one-two on the starting grid was the Italian team's third of the season.

Ferrari's achievement dashed Renault's hopes of celebrating their 50th Formula One pole position in front of their home crowd, with world champion Fernando Alonso clocking the third quickest time.

Alonso, 19 points ahead of Schumacher in the championship after six wins this year, will start alongside Italian Jarno Trulli's Toyota.

"I'm happy to be third," said Alonso, runaway winner at Magny-Cours last year.

"I have a competitive and very consistent car in the long runs and I think my chance will come to me tomorrow (today).

"For one lap we were not quick enough and we knew that, so it's not a big surprise.

"I think I have nothing to lose, I have a 19-point advantage and leading the championship," the Spaniard added.

"The risk is for the others."

Schumacher's pole came after a morning scare when a heat-shield on his Ferrari caught fire as he stopped in the pits after completing just five laps in the final free practice session.

"It didn't really matter," said Schumacher, whose team-mate Massa had a clutch problem in practice.

"We managed to get into the first row and that's pretty impressive."

Germany's Ralf Schumacher, in a Toyota, was fifth and starts on the third row with McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen.

Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella and McLaren's Spanish stand-in Pedro de la Rosa, replacing Juan Pablo Montoya after the Colombian's decision to switch to NASCAR in the United States, are on the fourth row.

'Little race'

The final session, shortened by five minutes under new regulations that came into force this weekend, saw Schumacher and Alonso jousting as if the race had already started.

The Ferrari cut past Alonso at the first corner but enjoyed the clean air for just a few laps before the Spaniard went through again.

"It's interesting. Already at Indianapolis in the US we had a little battle on track, a little race going," grinned Schumacher.

"They should give points for these sort of things, it was nice."

Briton Jenson Button had a miserable afternoon, the Honda driver going out in the first session with only three cars slower than him.

However, he moves up one place because Germany's Nico Rosberg, who qualified ninth for Williams, lost 10 places due to an unscheduled engine change.

A spokeswoman for Rosberg's team said the Cosworth engine, which must last two race distances under F1 regulations, had suffered damage from being over-revved at the previous US Grand Prix.

Cosworth monitored the engine and decided to change it after yesterday's third and final practice before qualifying.

The only Frenchman in the race, Super Aguri's Franck Montagny, outqualified Japanese team-mate Takuma Sato to start in 21st place.