• The McLarens failed to challenge the front runners and the classifying session turned into a fight between Ferrari and Williams.

 

• M.Schumacher claimed his fourth consecutive Malaysian pole (1'35"266), surprisingly with a fractionally slower time than his 2001 pole (1'35"220). The Ferrari Champion was followed by Montoya and team-mate Barrichello, who snatched P3 from the younger Schumacher in tbe closing moments.

 

• Raikkonen outclassified Coulthard: they start from P5 and P6, respectively.

 

• Sauber-Petronas (the home team), Renault, Jordan-Honda and Toyota occupy the remaining top 10:

 

* Heidfeld starts from a promising P7, while Brazilian rookie Massa, who had a flat tyre and thus little time to fight for a position in the T-car, starts from P14;
 
* Button, who seems to be a renewed man, claimed a strong P8, whereas team-made Trulli starts from P12;
 
* a motivated Fisichella secured P9, whereas Japanese rookie Sato took P15;
 
* and Salo (P10) continues showing that the Toyota Team is there for business, whilst McNish managed to place the other Tayota on P19, despite car problems in the free practicE sessions.
 

• Frentzen leads the second half of the grid, on P11, while team-mate Bernoldi is a couple of rows further down, in 16^th.

 

• The Jaguar team continues struggling, this time joined by Panis' Bar-Honda, the French driver having waited most of the session for his car to be ready. Luckily Villeneuve claimed P13, thus avoiding that both Jordan-Hondas outpaced them.

 

• De la Rosa starts from P17, besides Panis on P18, and Irvine from a disappointing P20, just ahead of the two Minardis, in one of which home-boy Yoong closes the grid. Team-mate Webber once more seems to outpace Yoong with ease.

 

     Will Michael Schumacher (or less likely Barrichello, who's starting from P3) succeed in maintaining Ferrari's total dominance in the Malaysian GP?...
 
     Or can the Williams, or the McLarens, break this streak of Ferrari wins in Malaysia?...
 
     Certainly, the race will tell :)...