Ferrari continued to dominate the US Grand Prix meeting in Indianapolis, by annexing the front row of the grid in qualifying on Saturday afternoon. Michael Schumacher enhanced his chances of a record fifth win at the speedway by taking the 67th pole position of his career with a lap of 1m 10.832s. Team mate Felipe Massa was second on 1m 11.435s, half a second clear of their closest challenger. That was Giancarlo Fisichella, who managed 1m 11.920s for Renault.

This was Fernando Alonso’s worst qualifying session of the year. The champion was only fifth on 1m 12.449s, so Rubens Barrichello will start between him and his team mate after the Brazilian squeezed 1m 12.109s out of his Honda. That was a major fillip for the team, after their recent tough races. It was the third pole position of the season for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, after those obtained in Sakhir and Imola, all of them with Michael Schumacher. A Ferrari thus starts a Grand Prix held in the United States from the top slot for the thirteenth time, bringing the total of F1 poles to one hundred and eighty two. Michael has obtained the sixty seventh pole of his career, the fourth at this circuit.

Jean Todt: "This was a dream qualifying! For the second time this season, we have an all-red front row of the grid and we are particularly pleased to have managed it today for various reasons: for our large number of American fans, who have given us a very warm welcome, for the team that has worked well, for our technical and commercial partners, especially Bridgestone, for me personally, as today I celebrate the end of my thirteenth year at the head of the Scuderia. All that aside, it's points that count and we still have to get them. Tomorrow we have a good chance of winning, but we are well aware it could be difficult. The decisive parameters will be the same as ever: reliability, especially on the engine side, as this is the second race for them on both our cars on a very demanding track and with high temperatures; consistency of tyre performance; the talent of our drivers and their ability to avoid making mistakes; the work of the team. If all the pieces of the jigsaw go together, we can aspire to a good result."

Michael Schumacher: "I am very happy! It would be hard to expect better from this weekend, at least so far: yesterday Germany and Italy got through to the World Cup semi-finals, today I got pole with Felipe alongside me.
 

"To complete the job, we need to win tomorrow and I will be trying my hardest to do so. Of course, I am a bit surprised at the gap to the others, but this is further confirmation that if all elements of our package are at their best, we are really competitive. The 248 F1 has been well balanced since yesterday and the Bridgestone tyres have been very consistent in terms of performance, even in race configuration. This is the start of the second half of the season and clearly every race is ever more important to reduce the gap in both championships and we will try and start doing this as from tomorrow."

Felipe Massa: "It was a very good day, which I hope will be rounded off with a win for Brazil in the World Cup quarter finals. I am very happy to be on the front row, as it is a very important result for the team. Now however, we must concentrate on the race. The car was very competitive. Over the course of the weekend we made various set-up changes which improved our performance. The Bridgestone tyres were very good, both over a single timed lap and over a distance. Tomorrow, it will be important to make a good start and ensure that those behind us don't manage to get between us. I am sure we have a very good chance."

Ross Brawn: "We've been very pleased with our performance all weekend so far, as we saw yesterday in practice that the Bridgestone tyres were working extremely well in terms of consistency and performance. I am optimistic that this will carry through into the race. We need to have a good race tomorrow and today all the elements came together, so let's hope we see the same again tomorrow. I felt we have had a strong car in both these last two weekends so Canada was a bit disappointing. But the tyres are working better here so we are seeing the true performance level of the car. I hope we get a good start tomorrow and then we can run the race we want."

Qualifying session: Michael Schumacher: 1st 1.10.832 17 laps chassis 254; Felipe Massa: 2nd 1.11.435 17 laps chassis 252; Temperatures: air 31/32°C track 44/45°C