Coulthard takes pole position for the German GP

HOCKENHEIM, Germany - David Coulthard got lucky in the rain Saturday and gained the pole for Sunday's German Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher is right behind him.

Saturday's one-hour qualifying session began in light rain and many drivers went out quickly to avoid the heavier downpours moving in.

Coulthard put in a very quick lap in the opening few minutes in his McLaren-Mercedes and it stood until the end.

"I managed to get a clean run through the fast middle sector, it was just lucky timing," Coulthard said after gaining his second pole of the season.

"I was probably able to read the conditions better than everybody else. The race tomorrow will be very close but I want the 10 points," he said.

Coulthard drove his McLaren-Mercedes around the 4.240-mile circuit in one minute, 45.697 seconds.

That order on the starting grid could provide another chapter in the ongoing feud between the two drivers and frontrunners in the battle for the Formula One championship.

Coulthard has been one of the drivers complaining about Schumacher's driving tactics ever since the German nearly ran him off the track at the French Grand Prix a month ago.

Schumacher tends to swerve left or right at the start of a race to protect his position, something he did in France when he went from the pole ahead of Coulthard.

Later in that race, Coulthard directed an obscene gesture at Schumacher when the German wouldn't let him pass. Schumacher relented the second time and Coulthard won the race.

Formula One officials found nothing wrong with Schumacher's driving, but Coulthard and some others have kept the issue alive.

On Sunday, Coulthard will have the advantage of being on the pole and not having to battle to pass Schumacher from the start.

With seven races left in the season, Schumacher leads the drivers' standings with 56 points, six ahead of Coulthard. A victory is worth 10 points, second place six.

Schumacher needs a victory after failing to finish three of the last four races. His once commanding 22-point lead after five victories has melted down to six points.

Soon after Coulthard's run showers moved in and there was a long period of inactivity. The rain stopped with about eight minutes left in the session, but the track was still wet and only one driver was able to improve his time - Schumacher.

With the clock running out, Schumacher blazed in his Ferrari to jump from fourth to second place with a time of 1:47.063, 1.366 seconds behind Coulthard.

"You have to have a bit of confidence in these type of conditions," Schumacher said. "I was on the limit and I was very near to going off the track."

"I wasn't expecting to be second, I had resigned myself to being fourth, but I saw at the end that perhaps I could improve," Schumacher added.

Giancarlo Fisichella of Italy was third in his Benetton, in 1:47.130, a time also posted early in the session.

Mika Hakkinen, the two-time defending champion from Finland, was fourth in his McLaren in 1:47.162.

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