Qualifying saw Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya edge out the two Ferraris to take his fourth consecutive pole position, beating Rubens Barrichello by 0.034 seconds and Michael Schumacher by 0.044.

Ralf Schumacher was fourth in the other Williams, three-tenths of a second behind his brother but eight-tenths ahead of Kimi Räikkönen's McLaren in fifth.

The top ten was completed by David Coulthard in the other McLaren, Jarno Trulli in the Renault, Mika Salo in the Toyota, Jacques Villeneuve in the BAR and Nick Heidfeld in the Sauber.

[4] Coulthard briefly inherited the lead, but the McLaren team had gambled by leaving him out longer than the other leaders, bringing him in on lap 15.

[3] Ralf Schumacher benefitted from the misfortunes of the McLarens and the Renaults to regain fourth, only to have another pit stop go wrong when his fuel rig failed.

[4] This left four more Bridgestone drivers – Villeneuve, Heidfeld, Olivier Panis in the second BAR and Giancarlo Fisichella in the Jordan – occupying fourth to seventh.