IMOLA, Italy, 25 April 2004 — Britain’s Jenson Button grabbed his and BAR’s first pole position at the San Marino Grand Prix yesterday to end Michael Schumacher’s run of qualifying dominance.
Button lapped Ferrari’s home circuit in one minute 19.753 seconds, the fastest time of the weekend, to pip six times world champion Schumacher by 0.258 of a second. BAR’s first pole came before their 87th race after they entered Formula One in 1999.
“Fantastic. The car’s been running strong all weekend. I think we’ve done a good job, we really have,” said Button, seeking his third podium in a row today. “I can’t wait. Qualifying is one thing but winning a race is the real goal.”
Ferrari’s Schumacher had been on pole for the first three races of the season which he has also won. Schumacher was quicker than Button through the first sector but a wobble in the second cost him dearly.
Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya was third fastest in a Williams and shares the second row of the grid with Ferrari’s Brazilian Rubens Barrichello.
Ralf Schumacher, Michael’s younger brother who won at Imola in 2001 for Williams, was fifth quickest and starts alongside Renault’s Spanish charger Fernando Alonso. BAR’s Takuma Sato filled the fourth row with Australian Mark Webber in a Jaguar.
McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen, yet to finish a race this season, will start from the back of the grid after suffering yet another engine problem. A team spokeswoman said the team had decided to change Raikkonen’s engine after his first qualifying run yesterday, when he finished ninth quickest.
The Finn, championship runner-up last year after taking Schumacher down to the wire, went out for an installation lap to scrub his tires but did not complete a second timed lap.
Raikkonen also started the last Bahrain Grand Prix from the back of the grid after an engine problem. Sauber’s Italian Giancarlo Fisichella will also start his home race at the back after being penalized for ignoring warning flags in morning practice. Fisichella did not take part in the second qualifying run.
