SEPANG, Malaysia, 20 March 2005 — Spain’s Fernando Alonso seized provisional pole for Renault at the Malaysian Grand Prix yesterday with a blistering lap in first qualifying.
Alonso, who started the 2003 race from pole position, clocked a lap of one minute 32.582 seconds — the fastest yet at the Sepang circuit.
His time was just 0.090 quicker than Italian Jarno Trulli, who placed his Toyota on the overnight front row before Sunday’s final qualifying session and nearly half a second faster than last year’s pole time.
“I always felt very comfortable here in Sepang,” said the 23-year-old Spaniard. “For me it is the best circuit in the world in terms of the driver.”
Championship leader Giancarlo Fisichella, who gave Renault a season-opening victory in Australia on March 6, was third quickest ahead of McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen.
The speed of the Toyotas, yet to finish higher than fifth place in three seasons in Formula One, was the main surprise of a session that also had champions Ferrari well down the timesheets.
Germany’s Ralf Schumacher was fifth fastest for the Japanese manufacturer while his older brother, Ferrari’s seven times world champion Michael, was a distant 12th.
“The top step of the podium must be our aim for tomorrow,” said Toyota technical director Mike Gascoyne, significantly raising the team’s objectives. Today’s pole is decided on aggregate times from the two sessions under a new format introduced this year.
Michael Schumacher, chasing his first points of the new campaign after failing to finish in Melbourne, was 1.490 seconds slower than Alonso.
The German, who will try out Ferrari’s new car for the first time next week and could race it at the next round in Bahrain after using a modified version of last year’s F2004, was two places ahead of team mate Rubens Barrichello.
Briton Anthony Davidson, replacing Takuma Sato at Honda-powered BAR after the Japanese was laid low by a fever, qualified 15th.