Michael Schumacher relegated title rival David Coulthard to the second row of the British Grand Prix grid today with the 40th pole of his Formula One career.
McLaren's Mika Hakkinen and Coulthard had looked like sweeping the front row until, with six minutes remaining, Ferrari's world champion hit the spot with a flying lap of one minute 20.447 seconds.
Hakkinen, who has not won a race or been on pole since August last year, will share the front row after failing to beat the German by a mere 0.082 seconds.
Schumacher has now been on pole eight times after 11 qualifying sessions this season and he did it with a time well inside his own race lap record of 1:24.475.
It was Hakkinen's third front row of the year. Coulthard, who has won his home race for the last two years but is 31 points behind Schumacher in the overall standings after 10 races, was third ahead of Italian Jarno Trulli in a Jordan.
Schumacher's Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello was only sixth fastest, behind German Heinz Harald Frentzen in the second Jordan, on a drying track after morning rain made several drivers skid out in free practice.
Michael's brother Ralf, winner of two races for Williams this season, was only 10th on the grid after sharing the front row with his older sibling for the past three grands prix. Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya was eighth quickest as Williams struggled with the conditions.
Coulthard was the best of the British by a long way, although Jenson Button had a boost by outqualifying his Italian team mate Giancarlo Fisichella to take 18th place for Benetton. Jaguar's Eddie Irvine was 15th on the grid.
Minardi's Brazilian Tarso Marques had a nightmare and failed to qualify, leaving the team with just Spaniard Fernando Alonso at the back of the grid for Sunday's race.