Summary

Jacques Villeneuve grabbed pole position half way through the session and nobody was able to improve on this time. Michael Schumacher was second, which makes it an interesting race for the championship. This race may, however, be influenced greatly by the decision of the stewards to disqualify Villeneuve because of driving too fast under yellow. He still had a suspended race ban from the Grand prix of Monza in Italy. The Williams team have filed an appeal which cause Villeneuve to be reinstated, but a final decision will be made before the last Grand Prix at Jerez (Spain).

Villeneuve stated: "I believe we have a good reason to appeal because it's a very important race. It's a heavy blow. It is very difficult to accept definitively. Now we will have to fight on to the end of the championship. It's been a very difficult season and it will be the most difficult season I have known in my career."

He commented on the incident when Jos Verstappen parked his Tyrrell beside the track: "There was a yellow flag, but it was down the straight and only waved at the corner. So I was already flat (out) on the straight when I saw the yellow flag and I could see the incident and I don't think you just stamp on the brakes. If it had been in a corner I would have slowed down."

Five other drivers got a one race suspended ban for the same offence: M. Schumacher, Frentzen, Katayama, Barrichello, and Herbert.

The Notes

• Barrichello blows up a Ford engine.
• Frentzen has some engine problems but the problem can be solved.
• Morbidelli crashes and the session is stopped. He could walk away unhurt.
• Irvine has a fuel problem towards the end and has to stop.
• Verstappen blows up a Ford engine.

  • Weather during sessions: Some Clouds (21 Degrees Celsius)

The Times

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.

Villeneuve (Williams-Renault) G M. Schumacher (Ferrari) G Irvine (Ferrari) G Hakkinen (McLaren-Mercedes) G Berger (Benetton-Renault) G Frentzen (Williams-Renault) G Alesi (Benetton-Renault) G Herbert (Sauber-Petronas) G Fisichella (Jordan-Peugeot) G Panis (Prost-Mugen) B Coulthard (McLaren-Mercedes) G Barrichello (Stewart-Ford) B R. Schumacher (Jordan-Peugeot) G Magnussen (Stewart-Ford) B Nakano (Prost-Mugen) B Diniz (Arrows-Yamaha) B Hill (Arrows-Yamaha) B Morbidelli (Sauber-Petronas) G Katayama (Minardi-Hart) B Marques (Minardi-Hart) B Verstappen (Tyrrell-Ford) G Salo (Tyrrell-Ford) G 107% rule B: Bridgestone G: Goodyear

1m 36.071s 1m 36.133s 1m 36.466s 1m 36.469s 1m 36.561s 1m 36.628s 1m 36.682s 1m 36.906s 1m 36.917s 1m 37.073s 1m 37.095s 1m 37.343s 1m 37.443s 1m 37.480s 1m 37.588s 1m 37.853s 1m 38.022s 1m 38.556s 1m 38.983s 1m 39.678s 1m 40.259s 1m 40.529s 1m 42.796s

The Quotes

• M. Schumacher: "This is a good position to be in for the race and finally Jacques and I will have a fight on the track for the first time this season. Maybe I could have gone a little bit quicker but I had too much understeer on my last run. I did not go out at the end of the session, because I saw that the yellow flags were out again and if I had done my quickest lap at that point I would have lost that time. I also wasted my third run when the red flag came out. We did not use the new throttle control system this afternoon as we have not developed it enough yet, although we tried it this morning. As usual I think we will be very strong in the race and with Eddie not far behind, it should be an interesting start, especially as he often starts quicker than me."

• Irvine: "Of course I am very happy to be third. I know this track very well and I think it is the best in F1. It is hard work, but very rewarding when you get it right. We made some changes to the car since the Nurburgring and this performance is the result. As for my stop at the end, I think there was a problem with the amount of fuel in the car. My car is good on both full and light tanks. In the race, I will try and help Michael for the Championship, which makes my job ten times harder as I have to think about both of us. I hope to make the best start, pass both of them and then let Michael pass me!"

• Villeneuve: "I didn't expect them to be that quick or as strong. So, it will be a battle between us in this race. But I love this track and this place and I am sure we will be very good on full tanks in race conditions. I am looking forward to it very much."

• Alesi: "After my first lap, an oil leak problem forced me to switch to the spare car. Unfortunately something was wrong as it was apparent that there was a big gap in the top speeds between the T-car and my car. Now we have to identify the problem. However, my qualifying position is not too bad, considering I did it on my first lap. The car is very well balanced. I am confident with my tyre choice and very optimistic for tomorrow's race."

• Berger: "I had a very good session. I was into the top places from the start. I know I could have gained some tenths but towards the end I got caught into some traffic and then Diniz's car spun right in front of me. Fifth on the grid is a good position and I am sure I can have a good race tomorrow."

• Herbert: "We made some aerodynamic and mechanical changes to the car this morning, which were beneficial, and the improvement carried over to qualifying. The balance was much better. On my last run I got the entry to the first corner just right and carried a lot more speed into the Essec, but unfortunately I came across David (Coulthard) at the Dunlop Curve and lost the advantage. That was disappointing, but overall I'm pleased with eighth place on the grid."

• Morbidelli: "There's not much to say. I was following another car up the hill behind the pits. I don't know whether I lost downforce because of that, or whether I just made a mistake, but the back end slid round and I hit the wall very hard. I've hurt my left wrist and a couple of fingers, but I'll be okay to race."

• R. Schumacher: "I am not at all satisfied with my performance. I was not on form this afternoon and I lost time braking into the hairpins which cost me places. After the good performance in practice, I am now very disappointed. I just hope we can have a strong race."

• Fisichella: "Ninth position is lower down the grid than I am used to, but I do not feel too disappointed because I have improved my time consistently all weekend. I have found this circuit difficult, in fact yesterday it felt very strange. So for my first time here I think ninth is ok, but not fantastic. I think the race will be very demanding but since the gap between me and pole position is so close, anything is possible and I am sure we will race well."