Barrichello blasts to Brazilian pole.

Rubens Barrichello took pole position today in qualifying for his home Grand Prix at Interlargos atop an interesting grid for tomorrows race.

Barrichello was the penultimate driver out after setting the second fastest time in Friday's qualifying session. At his home circuit the partisan crowd went wild as Rubiniho crossed the line with the quickest time with only Australian Mark Webber to be timed after him. Webber was to set a fast time - good enough to place the Jaguar driver third for tomorrow's race - but not good enough to displace the lead Ferrari man.

McLaren's David Coulthard joins Barrichello on the front row, the Scot benefiting from going out late. Coulthard knocked Italian Jarno Trulli off the top spot to go fastest before Rubens set his time. Renault driving Trulli had looked strong all through the session, having gone out eighth and displaced Ralf Schumacher from the top spot. Not until Michael Schumacher went out did anyone get close to the Italian's time, Schumacher setting a time about two tenths slower. Jarno will no doubt be paying attention to his rear view mirrors with the five-time world champion behind him for the second race in succession, as we all know what happened last time.

After being displaced by Trulli from the top spot Ralf was knocked further down the starting grid until ending up the session in sixth place, which is still a good change of fortunes for the German, who has been suffering with the new format qualifying so far this year. Looks like Frank Williams and Patrick Head should write to Ralf more often. Schumacher Jr sits on the starting grid ahead of Juan Pablo Montoya for the first time in 2003, Montoya went out fourth in the session and could only manage a time which places him in ninth on the grid for tomorrow's race.

Last out in the qualifying session was quickest man on Saturday, Mark Webber. Getting swiftly down to the task at hand the Australian stormed round the bumpy Interlagos circuit to set the third fastest time of the session, putting him on the second row for tomorrow's race. Team-mate Antonio Pizzonia was not so fortunate, his time was some second and a half slower and him lines up in seventeenth place for his home Grand Prix.

Kimi Raikkonen was a little ragged over some of the Interlagos kerbs but the Malaysian winner lines up in fourth place, alongside Webber for the race. Of the Jordan boys Giancarlo Fisichella lines up in eighth whilst Ralph Firman continues to struggle with qualifying pace and sits back in sixteenth place, the time difference between the two just over a second.

Malaysia pole-sitter Fernando Alonso didn't look so convincing this time out, the Spaniard out twelfth in the qualifying session and setting a time which places him tenth on the grid for tomorrow and five places behind team-mate Trulli.

At Toyota Olivier Panis didn't show the pace he had shown in the free practice session - he was fastest in the second of the day - and the veteran Frenchman lines up in tenth place for the race after a small mistake on his lap. Team-mate Cristiano da Matta had a bit of an active qualifying session with his car looking difficult to dial into the track and understeering wide on occasion. He lines up in eighteenth place for tomorrows race.

The Saubers sit in the latter half of the grid in twelfth and fifteenth. Of the two it was Heidfeld who looked to have the more ragged lap with a small mistake being made. Could it be that Heinz Harald is trying a heavier fuel load strategy for the start of the race?

A very slow second sector in his lap put Jacques Villeneuve behind team-mate, first out in session Jenson Button. Button lines up in eleventh, whilst Jacques sits an unlucky thirteenth.

Bringing up the rear are the Minardi duo of Justin Wilson and Jos Verstappen. Rookie Wilson set a time only just slower than Verstappen's despite Wilson being the first out in the session. Wilson is fast gaining a reputation for making superb starts, something Dutchman Verstappen used to have, so there should be some interesting Minardi moves into the first downhill left-hander once the lights go off tomorrow.

With the top ten only separated by some half a second it should make for an interesting start to the race as the cars all start the race with the same amount of fuel they used for qualifying. This, in theory, means the cars should be running similar times before they have to come in for fuel.

Contenders for early fuel stops must surely include Mark Webber; he's looked impressive in Interlagos so far, but surely low fuel is a factor. Other drivers looking out of place, and therefore early stop candidates include Giancarlo Fisichella - the Jordan having struggled for pace so far this year, Ralf Schumacher - displacing Montoya as quickest Williams could be more to do with fuel load than pace.

All looks set for another exciting race...