Pole time 99' - 1:37.460 - Michael Schumacher

Japanese GP - Qualifying

Final Order: Michael Schumacher grabs pole position ahead of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard. Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button and Ralf Schumacher make the top 6. Irvine, Frentzen, Villeneuve and Herbert make the top 10.

60 min: Hakkinen fails to improve and stays in 2nd.

58 min: Hakkinen starts his flying lap.

57 min: Michael Schumacher retakes provisional pole by just 0.009 seconds!. Hakkinen goes out on his final run.

55 min: Top 10 - Hakkinen, M Schumacher, Coulthard, Barrichello, Button, Irvine, R Schumacher, Frentzen, Villeneuve and Wurz.

53 min: Rubens Barrichello improves his time but remains in 4th. Michael Schumacher back out on track for his 3rd run.

51 min: Mika Hakkinen grabs provisional pole with a time of 1:35.834. Just 0.074 ahead of Michael Schumacher.

50 min: Top 10 - M Schumacher, Hakkinen, Coulthard, Barrichello, Button, Irvine, R Schumacher, Frentzen, Villeneuve and Herbert.

49 min: Ralf Schumacher improves to 7th. Hakkinen on his third run.

48 min: Villeneuve improves to 8th position while his teammate Zonta improves to 15th.

47 min: David Coulthard improves his time but remains in 3rd position.

45 min: Michael Schumacher retakes provisional pole with a time of 1:35.908. Coulthard on track.

44 min: Button sets a time of 1:36.753 and moves into 5th.

43 min: Jenson Button starts his flying lap and so does Michael Schumacher.

41 min: Mika Hakkinen grabs provisional pole with a time of 1:36.017. Michael Schumacher is out on the track.

39 min: Zonta sets a time way back in 19th place. Ralf Schumacher starts his second flying lap.

38 min: Top 10 - M Schumacher, Hakkinen, Coulthard, Barrichello, Irvine, Button, R Schumacher, Herbert, Frentzen and Villeneuve.

37 min: Jenson Button goes 6th fastest with a time of 1:37.340.

36 min: Coulthard improves his time but remains in 3rd position 0.17 seconds off the pace.

35 min: Frentzen takes 7th from Villeneuve. Coulthard on track.

34 min: Villeneuve sets a time of 1:37.730 in 7th place. Frentzen starts his second flying lap.

32 min: All drivers except Ricardo Zonta have set a time. Villeneuve goes out on his second run this session.

30 min: Top 6 - Michael Schumacher ahead of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard. Rubens Barrichello, Eddie Irvine and Ralf Schumacher make the top 6.

28 min: Michael Schumacher grabs provisional pole with a time of 1:36.094. Hakkinen goes second with a time of 1:36.168.

27 min: Top 10 - Coulthard, Irvine, R Schumacher, Trulli, Frentzen, Villeneuve, Fisichella, Herbert, de la Rosa and Heidfeld.

25 min: Eddie Irvine takes 2nd from Ralf with a time of 1:37.393. Mika Hakkinen goes out on the track.

25 min: Ralf Schumacher goes into 2nd place with a time of 1:37.438.

23 min: Several drivers go out including Ralf Schumacher and both Jaguar drivers.

22 min: Top 5 - Coulthard, Trulli, Villeneuve, Wurz and Gene.

21 min: Trulli sets a time of 1:37.778 while Villeneuve sets a time of 1:38.222.

19 min: David Coulthard sets a time of 1:36.633 and takes provisional pole. Villeneuve and Trulli are on the track.

17 min: David Coulthard is on the track.

16 min: Marc Gene sets a time of 1:40.361

14 min: Marc Gene is out on the track.

13 min: Alexander Wurz sets a time of 1:38.725

12 min: Wurz starts his first flying lap.

11 min: Alexander Wurz is the first driver to go out on the track.

8 min: Several drivers are in their cars including Coulthard, Barrichello and Fisichella but no one has gone out yet !

5 min: Still no drivers out !

Qualifying session started but no driver has come out. The weather is unlikely to change so the drivers will probably stay as late as possible due to the limit of 12 laps per driver during the session.

Pedro Diniz will have his 2 best times in qualifying taken away after driving on the track with an engine failure and spilling oil on the track. Session starting in 2 minutes.

Session starting in 5 minutes. Weather conditions: Sunny with a temperature of 25 degrees.