Latest news first, scroll down for earlier action. As Michael Schumacher watches cooly from the pits, his adversaries slug it out on their last lap. Coulthard manages to close the gap but improves only to third leaving the Schumachers on the front row. Schumacher elects to stay in the pits, confident that he has done enough for pole. Worryingly for McLaren, both of their drivers are more than half a second adrift.
Drivers wind up for the final push.
Nick Heidfeld crashes out and brings another red flag. The session goes on because of the delay caused by Barrichello's crash and Coulthard and Hakkinen's McLarens have a lot of work to do. But neither driver is making a dent on Schumacher's pace-setting time. Michael Schumacher has rejoined the battle and immediately improves his leading time. He now leads all drivers by more than three tenths of a second.