Schumacher caught in street fight

Thank the Lord for Jacques Villeneuve. BAR-Honda boss David Richards might be bidding down his mega-buck salary for 2003, but he's worth his weight in gold as one of the few drivers bold enough to speak their mind without fear of censure by their own marketing guardians.

Villeneuve knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of one of Michael Schumacher's questionable moves. They clashed controversially in the GP of Europe in Jerez back in 1997 when the German drove into him in a belated and fruitless attempt to prevent him winning that season's world crown.

The reigning champion had barely arrived in Monte Carlo on his quest for a record-matching sixth victory than Villeneuve began echoing the public sentiments about the Austrian victory that had chased Schumacher through Austria, Italy, Switzerland and all points west.

"It is very sad for everybody when you watch a race and see the result of the last race," he began, "mainly because it is so early in the season and there is no fair fight. Even if it was Ruben's race, at the end of the day it is Michael that won and that is what goes down in the book and that is what people remember, what is written in the book. That is what matters.

"The only thing I felt was unacceptable was the podium situation. If you win a race, even if it is in a way that you didn't like, step on the top step and take your trophy. Even if you are embarrassed because everybody is booing at you, step up there. You accepted taking the win, you didn't slow down, you felt good about it, you raised your hand on the last lap until you heard people booing at you. Step up there, take the trophy, be a man."

That incident with Villeneuve in Spain was the last occasion on which Schumacher felt the opprobrium of the sporting world. This weekend there was more. Reports indicated a drop in attendance by Ferrari clubs, while some spectators openly booed car No 1 whenever it went by. Against a backdrop of the usual glitter and glamour of Monte Carlo, that lent an extra frisson to the great occasion in Formula One's calendar. And thankfully nothing prevented qualifying from being a down-in-the-dirt slogging match in which Schumacher proved that whatever happens outside of the cockpit, nothing can ever get to him once he is strapped into it.

Perfect weather, a significant new challenge from Michelin, and the usual roulette game of trying to find a clear lap where so few exist, put him on his mettle all afternoon.

"On the final day of recent testing in Valencia, Michelin brought some new tyres and they were very quick," said the Bridgestone-shod 1996 Monaco winner Olivier Panis on arrival in the Principality. "We expect a tough time here."

Those expectations were realised, as the French manufacturers' drivers took eight of the top 10 grid placings. BMW-Williams, McLaren-Mercedes and Renault vied for the top slots, with newcomer Toyota filling out the fifth row. Only the two Ferraris split that symmetry, and yet again it was Rubens Barrichello that was the quicker for a while. The Brazilian calmly supplanted Juan Pablo Montoya and then David Coulthard as the initial standard-setter, before himself being nudged down the list as Jarno Trulli and then Michael Schumacher went quicker on an improving surface. But Barrichello was again going faster than them all when he fell victim to a particularly churlish – and uncharacteristic – bout of baulking by Coulthard that ruined his second run. Sauber-Petronas driver Felipe Massa likewise made himself unpopular as he later stymied the hopes of Renault pairing Trulli and Jenson Button, who had harboured aspirations of top-four starts.

"It was not a perfect day," Barrichello admitted glumly. "The car had the potential to get me on the front row. Unfortunately, traffic determined where I ended up on the grid."

Michael Schumacher, meanwhile, had similar problems and then had to stop for medical attention to remove grit from one eye, but he timed his last run perfectly to snatch a front-row position just before everyone else began cluttering up the track in the dying minutes.

Ultimately, however, both Ferrari drivers were overshadowed. First by Coulthard, who blew away much of his early-season gloom with another scintillating performance that seemed set to earn him the pole position that mechanical problems prevented him exploiting last year. Then by Montoya, who hit the jackpot for BMW-Williams with a dramatic last lap that shaded the Scot by almost four-tenths of a second.

"Obviously I'm pleased to be on the front row, but I believe we could have been on pole," Coulthard said with an air of resignation, but with a hint of a smile.

Montoya, however, was just too strong. "I knew the time was there from the beginning," he admitted. "I had a negative weekend here last year but this time things have been working all right so far and I am changing my mind about this track now. It's special to be on pole here."

With third and fifth places on the grid Ferrari have their work cut out, even if perceived wisdom favours the longevity of the Bridgestones over the better grip of the Michelins. With luck, team orders will be academic this time, the racing for the lead genuine. And if Schuey does win this one, he'll have done it the hard way.