Jaguar make a splash in the rain

There were two things nobody really expected to see in Brazil: heavy rain all day, and a Jaguar on the overnight pole.

The day started with dry but overcast conditions and the Michelin runners looking quietly confident, and the Bridgestone runners trying to play the situation down. Everyone expected the Brazilian Grand Prix would be all about tyre performance. High track temperatures are usually a feature of this race, just as they were in Malaysia a fortnight ago, and prior to yesterday's running the smart money favoured the French manufacturer which has thus far won both races in the 2003 championship.

"Brazil has proved positive for us in the past and I have no doubt Michelin has taken big steps over the winter," said Juan Pablo Montoya, who came so close to winning this race, only his third in Formula One, back in 2001 when his passing move on Michael Schumacher marked him as a man to watch.

"I am pretty confident for the race. I am sure our tyres will have the grip which is needed for the bumpy surface and will make an essential contribution to my effort to reclaim the victory I lost here two years ago."

There is further cause for optimism in Montoya's Williams-BMW camp, thanks to a new aerodynamic package which performed well in tests in Spain last week. "We took a lot of new aero parts there and I'd say that we are very pleased with the result," said their technical director, Patrick Head.

But then it began to rain on Friday morning, and the day remained dank and unpleasant. Treacherous track conditions saw the world championship leader, Kimi Raikkonen, spin in practice, and Fernando Alonso and Heinz-Harald Frentzen also had adventures. None of them hit anything, but the local boy Antonio Pizzonia planted his Jaguar quite heavily in the wall at 11.45, bringing out the red flag. The line between hero and zero was a fine one.

The conditions became so bad that there were doubts the afternoon's qualifying session would go ahead. The big problem is that the odds on heavy rain are long, so the tyre companies bring only one wet road tyre, which is effectively an "intermediate" that is less efficient than a "full wet" in clearing away water. There was talk of drivers trying to get a petition together to cancel qualifying, but when the rain stopped during the lunch break and the standing water began draining away, the session went ahead.

For a long time it was local hero Rubens Barrichello who made the best of the circumstances, setting a fastest time of 1min 23.249sec. Montoya blew it by pushing too hard, and Michael Schumacher's chances were hampered by heavier rain which caused him to spin on his out lap. The rain eased almost the moment his 1:25.585 lap was over. Then Jenson Button spun and lost his BAR-Honda's rear wing, causing the session to be stopped momentarily. During that time the rain stopped.

In improved conditions, Jaguar's Mark Webber was the penultimate man to run and made the most if it, dipping below Barrichello's time with 1:23.111. "The guys came on the radio afterwards and told me I was on pole," the Australian said. "I just thought it was OK, but Panis still had to run. Now we're really happy. It was a good lap and really enjoyable, and the guys are pretty excited."

The race could still be about tyres, but on a wet track. With rain forecast again this afternoon, qualifying looks set to produce another unusual grid, and another eventful grand prix.

Brazil grand prix (São Paulo) First qualifying session: 1 M Webber (Aus) Jaguar 1min 23.111sec; 2 R Barrichello (Bra) Ferrari 1:23.249; 3 K Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 1:24.607; 4 D Coulthard (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 1:24.655; 5 M Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari 1:25.585; 6 O Panis (Fr) Toyota 1:25.614; 7 J Villeneuve (Can) BAR-Honda 1:25.672; 8 A Pizzonia (Bra) Jaguar 1:25.764; 9 F Alonso (Sp) Renault 1:26.203; 10 H-H Frentzen (Ger) Sauber-Ferrari 1:26.375; 11 C da Matta (Bra) Toyota 1:26.554; 12 J Trulli (It) Renault 1:26.557; 13 R Schumacher (Ger) Williams-BMW 1:26.709; 14 G Fisichella (It) Jordan-Ford 1:26.726; 15 J Verstappen (Neth) Minardi-Ford 1:26.886; 16 N Heidfeld (Ger) Sauber-Ferrari 1:27.111; 17 J P Montoya (Col) Williams-BMW 1:27.961; 18 R Firman (GB) Jordan-Ford 1:28.083; 19 J Wilson (GB) Minardi-Ford 1:28.317; 20 J Button (GB) BAR-Honda no time.