FERRARI'S world champion Kimi Raikkonen denied home hero Fernando Alonso a Spanish Grand Prix pole position yesterday to set himself up as favourite for today's race.
The 115,000-strong crowd gave Alonso a standing ovation after Renault's double world champion pulled out all the stops at the Circuit de Catalunya only to be pipped by the Finn in the dying seconds by 0.091.
The pole was championship leader Raikko
nen's first of the season and the 15th of his Formula One career.
Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Friday and won the previous race in Bahrain, qualified third with BMW Sauber's Polish driver Robert Kubica alongside in fourth place.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, last year's overall runner-up in his rookie season, shared the third row with Finnish team mate Heikki Kovalainen as the Mercedes-powered team continued to look ill at ease.
Raikkonen will be expected to secure Ferrari's third win in a row in today's race, given that the driver on pole position in Barcelona has won for the past seven years.
The Finn was also the fourth different driver in four races to take pole position.
"It's nice to be in front, it always makes your life a little bit easier," said Raikkonen, his face betraying little emotion.
"Qualifying is one part but tomorrow is where we get the points. Last year we couldn't finish the race."
Alonso's position was as unexpected as it was welcome for a Spanish crowd primed in advance by the 26-year-old not to expect anything special after a difficult start to the season.
Renault had not been on the front row of the grid since Alonso took pole at the Chinese Grand Prix in October 2006 and there were immediate suspicions that the Spaniard was lighter on fuel than his rivals.
However the French team have introduced a significant aerodynamic upgrade for Barcelona, including a prominent new engine cover that Alonso likened to the sail of an America's Cup yacht.
He credited the fans for giving him an extra couple of tenths in lap time but, more seriously, said there was no doubt the team had moved forward.
"The car is better, easier to drive and quicker," he told a news conference. "Hopefully we are coming back."
Australian Mark Webber qualified seventh for Red Bull with Italian Jarno Trulli alongside in a Toyota.
BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, the German who is second in the championship and three points behind Raikkonen, was ninth with Renault's Nelson Piquet in 10th place.
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