Schumacher

SILVERSTONE, England -- Michael Schumacher hit the front for Ferrari in first qualifying for the British Grand Prix on Friday and his Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello brought up the rear.

Schumacher, chasing his 50th win for Ferrari this weekend to increase his eight-point lead in the standings, lapped in one minute 19.474 seconds on an overcast afternoon marked by occasional drizzle.

The five-times world champion was 0.275 of a second quicker than the Williams of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.

Ralf Schumacher, winner of the last two races and a championship contender 11 points behind his older brother, was third fastest in the other Williams.

"This was a good day for us," said Michael Schumacher, who led a Ferrari one-two in Britain last year. "The Silverstone track seems to suit our car."

Williams, three points adrift of Ferrari in the constructors' championship with six races remaining, looked strong.

So did Renault, with a new aerodynamic package allowing Spaniard Fernando Alonso to lap fourth quickest and Italian Jarno Trulli sixth.

"We expected this to be a competitive weekend for us and it is proving to be so," said technical director Mike Gascoyne.

McLaren's young Finn Kimi Raikkonen, Schumacher's closest title challenger, paid the price for a mistake at Stowe and had to make do with the 12th quickest time.

"I have struggled a bit to get comfortable with the car today," said the 23-year-old. "So we will be looking at where we can make improvements before tomorrow."

His time was still better than Barrichello, the only driver from the top three teams yet to win a race this season, who went off the track and was stuck in a gravel trap.

The session was halted to enable marshals to remove the Ferrari with Barrichello forced to start second in Saturday's decisive final qualifying.

"I could have been first or second," said the disappointed Brazilian. "I was on a really good lap, then after the second split (time), there was a bit of drizzle and having clipped the kerb, I ended up off the track.

"I am not too bothered. This morning the car was handling very well in race trim and I am confident for the rest of the weekend."

British rookie Justin Wilson, in a Minardi, will be first out after he, too, failed to set a time.

Jenson Button and David Coulthard, the leading home drivers, also had a comparatively disappointing afternoon with McLaren's Coulthard seventh after leading free practice. BAR's Button finished the day ninth.

"The new bodywork has made quite a big difference but we are a little further behind than we wanted to be," said Button.

Toyota fared better with their new aerodynamic developments, Frenchman Olivier Panis clocking the fifth best time.