Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella grabbed the provisional pole for Sunday's 2005 Formula One season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The Italian posted a best time of one minute, 33.171 seconds around the 3.295- mile Albert Park Circuit. Fisichella managed to get on the track at just the right time, in between two separate rain storms, to post his winning time.
Others, like five-time defending series champion Michael Schumacher and Juan Montoya were not so lucky. Their runs took place in the middle of downpours.
"I'm really happy about my qualifying session," said Fisichella. "We were very lucky because we went out in the right moment and as soon as I finished my flying lap it started raining."
But unlike in 2004, Saturday's pole winner, Fisichella, has not clinched the top spot on the grid.
During the off-season, FIA officials made many changes to the series.
Instead of a single qualifying session on Saturday afternoon, grid positions will now be decided by combining times from two qualifying sessions.
In the first, on Saturday afternoon, cars will do a single timed lap, running in the reverse order from which they finished the previous race.
In the second session, run on the morning before the race, cars will run in reverse order from Saturday's session and impounded after qualifying.
But qualifying was not the only change made during the winter months.
The most significant change is that a single set of tires must be used for both qualifying and the entire race. Whereas tires only needed to last about 50 miles in 2004, they will need to stand up to 200 miles of pounding this year.
This will change races from quick sprints with new rubber to drivers striving to maintain their tires for the entire event. Hopefully, the result will be that well-maintained tires will allow their owners to pass late in the race when others have worn their tires down to the threads.
And passing equals excitement, something that has been missing in the last five "Michael Schumacher-dominated" season.
Aerodynamics have been severely curtailed (downforce reduced by 25%) and engines must last for two entire race weekends. A driver who blows an engine during practice will be relegated 10 places on the grid. If the change takes place after the first qualifying session, he will start from the back of the field.
Fisichella's time beat Toyota's Jarno Trulli, who posted a second-best time of 1:35.270.
Mark Webber (1:36.717), Jacques Villeneuve (1:36.984) and Christian Klien (1:37.486) completed the top-five.
Montoya was 11th quickest, while Schumacher was the slowest driver of the 18 who completed their qualifying laps.
Felipe Massa and Takuma Sato failed to complete their laps and will start the race at the back.
The field will return for round two on Sunday morning and then four hours later will take to the track for the first event of 2005.
03/04 22:29:53 ET
The Italian posted a best time of one minute, 33.171 seconds around the 3.295- mile Albert Park Circuit. Fisichella managed to get on the track at just the right time, in between two separate rain storms, to post his winning time.
Others, like five-time defending series champion Michael Schumacher and Juan Montoya were not so lucky. Their runs took place in the middle of downpours.
"I'm really happy about my qualifying session," said Fisichella. "We were very lucky because we went out in the right moment and as soon as I finished my flying lap it started raining."
But unlike in 2004, Saturday's pole winner, Fisichella, has not clinched the top spot on the grid.
During the off-season, FIA officials made many changes to the series.
Instead of a single qualifying session on Saturday afternoon, grid positions will now be decided by combining times from two qualifying sessions.
In the first, on Saturday afternoon, cars will do a single timed lap, running in the reverse order from which they finished the previous race.
In the second session, run on the morning before the race, cars will run in reverse order from Saturday's session and impounded after qualifying.
But qualifying was not the only change made during the winter months.
The most significant change is that a single set of tires must be used for both qualifying and the entire race. Whereas tires only needed to last about 50 miles in 2004, they will need to stand up to 200 miles of pounding this year.
This will change races from quick sprints with new rubber to drivers striving to maintain their tires for the entire event. Hopefully, the result will be that well-maintained tires will allow their owners to pass late in the race when others have worn their tires down to the threads.
And passing equals excitement, something that has been missing in the last five "Michael Schumacher-dominated" season.
Aerodynamics have been severely curtailed (downforce reduced by 25%) and engines must last for two entire race weekends. A driver who blows an engine during practice will be relegated 10 places on the grid. If the change takes place after the first qualifying session, he will start from the back of the field.
Fisichella's time beat Toyota's Jarno Trulli, who posted a second-best time of 1:35.270.
Mark Webber (1:36.717), Jacques Villeneuve (1:36.984) and Christian Klien (1:37.486) completed the top-five.
Montoya was 11th quickest, while Schumacher was the slowest driver of the 18 who completed their qualifying laps.
Felipe Massa and Takuma Sato failed to complete their laps and will start the race at the back.
The field will return for round two on Sunday morning and then four hours later will take to the track for the first event of 2005.
03/04 22:29:53 ET