Schumacher takes contentious Monaco pole.

Michael Schumacher stole pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix from under the noses of Renault and McLaren, despite having not featured among the leading positions in the knock-out sessions.

The German, who will be looking to equal Ayrton Senna's record of six Monaco wins on Sunday, ended the session ignominiously parked in the Rascasse barrier, but the 'error' all but ensured his 1min 13.898secs effort of top spot as those on flying laps had to lift more than normal to avoid the stricken Ferrari.

The final corner incident caused consternation up and down the pit-lane, with many believing that, having made an error at the chicane on what could have been a faster lap, Schumacher opted - or was instructed - to spoil those of his rivals by leaving his car in as awkward a spot as possible. Although there was room to pass the behind the Ferrari at Rascasse, the recovery effort required vigorously waved yellows and anyone substantially improving would probably have had their times deleted.

As it is, Fernando Alonso will join his closest championship rival on the front row, having seen his final second effort come up a tenth short of toppling Schumacher. The Spaniard was the last man on a flying lap, and had more room to pass the Ferrari than those ahead of him, but was unable to squeeze a big enough margin - already three-tenths - out of his Renault before reaching the accident spot to take into account what he would lose in negotiating it.

Kimi Raikkonen also had a shot at pole, albeit not in the closing moments, but stumbled across Nico Rosberg in the final sector and failed to improve his previous best. That lap had been the one that opened the floodgates in terms of pole shots, but came more than six minutes left in the session. The Finn, sporting a revised helmet design this weekend, appeared to be on course for an improvement, but caught Rosberg at just the wrong moment. The young German was not to blame for the delay, but Raikkonen's final sector undid all that he had done right earlier on.

That resigned the best of the McLarens to fourth spot, ironically outside Rosberg's Williams team-mate Mark Webber, who put in a typically inch-perfect effort to land third for the Grove squad and engine partner Cosworth on a circuit where the combination could shine - but also allow the top two to get away. Webber, who finished on the podium last season, sneaked in under many a radar in posting his time, which most then felt would be bettered in the closing stages, despite it being just a tenth shy of Alonso's final mark.

While Webber is almost certainly running light in an attempt to secure track position in the early stages, the back end of the top ten appears to be populated by drivers aiming to make only one stop on Sunday, with Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, Rosberg and Jarno Trulli never featuring in the battle for leading positions. All seemed to spend longer than average on 'fuel credit runs', with Trulli barely making a meaningful outing. The other three bounced around the lower reaches, swapping times and positions, before the argument was settled in Barrichello's favour.

Giancarlo Fisichella and Juan Montoya will share row three after both failing to get the best out of the session and not living up to prior performances this weekend. The Italian pitted for new tyres towards the end of the 20 minutes, but was sent on his way by a Renault team not ready for him. Both Renaults then pitted back-to-back next time around, before preparing for a final effort, but an irate Fisichella was not able to lift his R26 any higher up the order with two tenths splitting him from Raikkonen. Montoya, likewise, had too big a gap to make up in order to catch Fisichella, and will be looking to strategy to help move him up the order on race day.

Barrichello's seventh place will come as small comfort to the Honda squad after team-mate Jenson Button became the second major faller in qualifying. The Briton remained mired in the bottom six of the second session, unable to find a time that would lift him clear of the drop zone. Even a late stop for fresh tyres and front wing adjustments proved to be no assistance as understeer plagued the Honda, and Button was clearly frustrated as he missed the final shoot-out for the first time this season.

Barrichello only survived the cut by the narrowest of margins, unwittingly helped by his team-mate as Button inadvertently held up Ralf Schumacher's Toyota on the German's final flying effort. Schumacher joined Christian Klien, Tonio Liuzzi and both BMW Saubers in missing out, while team-mate Jarno Trulli escaped the axe after finding a late improvement to climb to eighth spot.

Button, meanwhile, was preceded onto the more illustrious sidelines by Felipe Massa, the Brazilian becoming the first big name casualty of the afternoon, crashing out of session one before setting a lap time. Massa hit the barriers on the outside of Casino Square, having had the rear of his Ferrari step out of line on entry. The impact ripped the front wing and one corner from the car, leaving no chance for him to return to the pits for repairs.

Massa's exit immediately opened up an unexpected place in the second round for those drivers expected to fall at the first hurdle, and Tonio Liuzzi gratefully accepted, while Toro Rosso team-mate Scott Speed, the two Super Aguri drivers and both Midland pilots missed the cut. Speed could have improved on his time, but messed up his entry to the chicane and then misunderstood a call from his pit-crew, pitting at the end of the lap when continuing would have given him another shot at progressing.

The two Midland pilots will have harboured hopes of making the cut after solid free practice performances, but lost out to Liuzzi, who claimed the 16th and final place after bobbing in and around the drop zone for part of the session. Christijan Albers was the unlucky last man to fall into the bottom six after Button's late improvement - the Briton struggling in Q1 as well - and will line up inside team-mate Tiago Monteiro on Sunday. Takuma Sato got the better of Super Aguri partner Franck Montagny, with both drivers around a second shy of further demoting Speed.

While the session did not prove to be as dramatic as many had predicted, all eyes will remain on the grid order lest the protests being mooted by those who feel they were affected by Schumacher's off have any effect on the starting order.