Length: 5.807 km
Number of Laps: 53 (307.573 Km)
Best Lap: K. Raikkonen - 1'31''540 (2005, Mclaren)
Record Pole: M. Schumacher - 1'31''317 (2004, Ferrari)
2005 Pole: R. Schumacher - 1'46''106 (Toyota)
2005 Podium: K. Raikkonen - G. Fisichella - F. Alonso

However it was his young Ferrari teammate that claimed the honours in a thrilling battle on Saturday afternoon.

The expected rain had held off all morning meaning the session started on a dry track.

It was good news for the Scuderia who had so famously struggled in recent weeks when rain interrupted play.

Schumacher didn’t wait long to emphasise his team’s advantage by going over a second quicker than any other man in qualifying’s opening segment.

His advantage was less but his pace was just as impressive through segment two and pole position seemed a mere formality.

However as the green light signalled the start of the final run dark clouds rolled over Suzuka and raindrops started to fall.

Teams and drivers scrambled and the usual fuel-burning procession was forgotten as everyone started chasing fast times.

Unsurprisingly Schumacher was ultra quick off the mark and set a competitive time on his first flying lap.

Massa too was in the fight and the two Toyota’s were putting on a good show.

Fernando Alonso showed signs of pressure as he swore and shouted through his radio after claiming he was impeded by Massa.

Renault tried to calm the championship contender but he seemed more concerned with getting his own back and struggled to find a time.

After two flying laps the pit lane was busy as drivers elected to bolt on a new set of tyres early.

Jarno Trulli was first back onto the track and he quickly put Toyota into P1.

Schumacher responded and returned Ferrari to the top of the order however his rivals were drawing ever closer.

As the final runs began it seemed at least six men were capable of claiming pole position.

The Renault pair were ruled out early as Schumacher obliterated them in the opening sector, but Massa, Trulli, and the younger Schumacher Ralf remained a threat.

Michael crossed the line and went comfortable to the top with a 1:29.711.

However his hopes of landing a record ninth pole position in Japan were soon dashed as his teammate Massa clocked a result of 1:29.599 to steal pole position at the chequer.

Trulli made Ferrari hearts flutter as he went fastest of all through the opening sector.

His following to splits were not as impressive and he eventually finished fourth with a 1:30.039.

It was actually his teammate Ralf who came closer with a final time of 1:29.989 to lead a surprising and highly impressive performance from Toyota.

Alonso (1:30.371) limited the damage and finished fifth fastest at the death, marginally ahead of his teammate Giancarlo Fisichella (1:30.599).

The two Hondas of Jenson Button (1:30.992) and Rubens Barrichello (1:31.478) were next in the order, and BMW’s Nick Heidfeld (1:31.513) followed by Williams’ Nico Rosberg (1:31.856) rounded out the result.

Despite the order being the reverse of the ideal, the Ferrari team celebrated and the drivers embraced as the session drew to a close.

It was a less jubilant atmosphere at Renault were shoulders were slumped and the tension between team and star driver appeared to have flared up again.

Even more sombre was the mood at McLaren where both cars missed out on the final qualifying run.

Pedro de la Rosa (14th) was always short on pace however Kimi Raikkonen (11th) looked to be heading for a top five finish before apparent problems saw the Finn dramatically slow up.

Red Bull were faced with similar disappointment when David Coulthard (17th) and Robert Doornbos (18th) failed to make it through segment one.

There were no accidents to speak of during the session however technical gremlins ruined the runs of Super Aguri’s Sakon Yamamoto and BMW’s Robert Kubica.

Focussing on Sunday, Ferrari are the obvious favourites for victory.

However their job may not be as simple as it seemed at the end of Saturday with more varied conditions expected.

The typhoon off the coast of Japan is likely to lead to continued strong winds however clearing rain is set to see a significant rise in temperatures.

Track temps as low as four degrees Celsius on day two meant the Bridgestone tyre was by far the better choice.

With the expected increase though Michelin runners will be more at ease and Renault should come back into the fight.