Colombia's Juan Pablo Montoya proved he is the new King of Qualifying as he roared to his fifth successive pole position at the French Grand Prix in Magny-Cours today.
The Williams-BMW driver saw off Ferrari's five-time world champion-elect Michael Schumacher by just 0.023 secs in a blistering finale to score the ninth pole of his 28-race career.
But Schumacher can claim a record-equalling fifth drivers' crown if he wins tomorrow and neither Montoya or Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello, who was third fastest, finish second in the race.
McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen was fourth-fastest with Ralf Schumacher fifth in the other Williams.
Britain's David Coulthard was sixth for McLaren with Jenson Button seventh - out-qualifying eighth placed team-mate Jarno Trulli - just hours before he is expected to lose his seat at the team for next season.
Eddie Irvine showed that the changes to the Jaguar R3 have worked by scoring their best qualifying position of the season with ninth while Allan McNish was 17th for Toyota.
Arrows drivers Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Enrique Bernoldi were both outside of the 107% qualifying time after making just one run then sitting out the rest of the session.
The duo, whose boss Tom Walkinshaw is in talks with three potential investors as he attempts to save his team, were both inside the required standard after the first two sectors but then posted slower times by several seconds in the final sector.
The fact that they took part in qualifying means they will be seen to have 'participated' in the grand prix but the way they missed out will surely raise questions about bringing the sport into disrepute.
Whether FIA, the sport's governing body, deem that they have made a serious attempt to take part in the race - and thus not risk losing their rights to continue competing under the Concorde Agreement which governs the sport - remains to be seen.
If Jordan's Giancarlo Fisichella does not take part after missing qualifying following his crash in final practice, then just 19 cars could take to the start line tomorrow.
That is believed to be the smallest number since only 14 lined-up at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1982 when several teams boycotted the event in a row over the future of the sport.
PA