Canadian GP Friday qualifying notes

Schumacher on provisional pole ------------------------------ Michael Schumacher waited until near the end of the first qualifying session, but then blasted away with a lap of 1:27.661 on his sixth qualifying lap to take the provisional pole by 0.378s over Damon Hill. With rain forecast for Saturday, this could well determine the pole position for Sunday. Johnny Herbert had a spring change in mid- session but was unable to improve his time, ending up seventh fastest.

Williams 3rd and 5th -------------------- Damon Hill was unhappy with his 2nd place on the provisional grid, describing it as a "no more than satisfactory start to the weekend." David Coulthard, in 5th despite suffering from a cold, also complained of car balance problems.

Berger has more problems ------------------------ After his failed engine in the morning practice session, Gerhard Berger suffered from a refueling valve problem just prior to leaving for a qualifying run, delaying his last set too late to get a final clean qualifying run; he felt that he might have made front row instead of 3rd place otherwise. Jean Alesi, in 4th, also lost some time with an electrical problem.

McLaren still suffering ----------------------- The revised McLaren was still suffering from chassis balance problems, and Mika Hakkinen also had a minor fuel pressure problem. As a result, Hakkinen was only able to manage 9th and Mark Blundell 15th.

Jordan's new Suspension ----------------------- For qualifying, Eddie Irvine's car also received the revised rear suspension. As a result, he was able to qualify 6th, with Rubens Barrichello 8th, 0.372 seconds behind.