Ralf Schumacher (1m20.759s) and Jarno Trulli (1m21.132s) have qualified for the Hungarian Grand Prix seventh and ninth quickest for Panasonic Toyota Racing but they will line up in P6 and P8 on the grid following an engine failure ahead of them.

The Budapest race, round 13 of this season’s 18-race championship, offers an opportunity for a different result with the two championship protagonists, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher, both starting way down the grid after having 2s penalties added to their times in each qualifying session. Alonso was penalised for impeding Robert Doornbos in Friday practice and overtaking under a yellow flag, while Schumacher suffered the same penalty when he was adjudged to have overtaken under a red flag that halted Saturday practice when Jenson Button blew an engine.

The grid at the Hungaroring is notoriously short of grip and the odd numbered qualifying positions, on the clean side of the track, often offer an advantage at the start. Unfortunately for Toyota, perhaps, their seventh and ninth places become sixth and eighth after Button’s 10-place penalty for a changed engine is applied, meaning that both TF106Bs will start on the dirty, gripless side of the track.

Temperatures are lower than predicted in Hungary, which often sees track temperatures in excess of 50C, and that has given everyone tyre problems.

“Just about everyone has had a problem with graining,” explained Trulli, “and that has made car set-up a little bit of a guess. I didn’t feel as if I had a good balance and was lacking grip for qualifying. I tried raising the front wing but it didn’t make any difference.”

Schumacher added: “I think everyone had the same issues with tyres but I am confident that we have a good strategy for the race and we should be pleased with our qualifying positions.”

Kimi Raikkonen claimed his second successive pole position for Team McLaren Mercedes with a lap in 1m19.599s, ahead of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver Felipe Massa (1m19.886s) and Lucky Strike Honda Racing’s Rubens Barrichello (1m20.085s). Pedro de la Rosa lines up fourth in the second McLaren (1m20.117s), ahead of Mark Webber’s Williams-Cosworth (1m20.266s). Between the two Toyotas on the grid is Giancarlo Fisichella’s Renault (1m20.924s), with Robert Kubica (1m22.049s) completing the top 10 on his F1 debut with BMW Sauber, replacing Jacques Villeneuve.

Senior General Manager, Chassis, Pascal Vasselon said: “It’s a little bit ironic that only a week ago, looking ahead to this race, I speculated on what might happen if we had lower temperatures than expected in Hungary! What happens is that the tyre does not operate in the anticipated temperature range, and hence the grip level is low and it slides more. That compounds the problem and the tyres grain. Rubber is torn from the tyre surface and the driver suffers understeer. The problem lessens when the wear becomes more uniform across the surface of the tyre. Coping with the problem will be a big factor for everyone in tomorrow’s race, unless, of course, the temperature rises significantly.”