Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher and reigning world champion Fernando Alonso will continue their duel from the middle of the starting grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix today after both drivers were hit with time penalties.


Kimi Raikkonen of McLaren-Mercedes, last year's winner, took the pole position yesterday in 1 minute, 19.599 seconds on the course. However, the focus was on Schumacher and Alonso after both incurred two-second penalties per qualifying session.


It was the tenth career pole position for Finland's Raikkonen and his second straight.


Schumacher was 12th and Alonso 15th in the qualifications, but Schumacher will move up to 11th when Jenson Button moves down from fourth to 14th because of an engine change, which indirectly caused Schumacher's penalty.


When Button's car caught fire, the session was stopped and Schumacher was judged to have passed two cars - including Alonso - despite red flags being waved. Afterward, Schumacher was penalised two seconds by the stewards.

"Of course I am angry... but I blame myself too," Schumacher said, adding video footage would show what happened.
"It is a bit difficult to explain what happened out there," Schumacher added later. "It's easier if everybody looks at the pictures. There you see more and the pictures are self-explanatory."

He did not elaborate.

"There are rules. If you don't respect them, you get a penalty,"

Raikkonen said.


Alonso still leads Schumacher in the season's standings 100-89, and it could get closer after today's race on the tight, twisting Hungaroring circuit where passing is difficult.

"The race here is as hard as Monaco, You usually can't overtake here,"

Schumacher said.


Schumacher started from last at Monaco after another qualifying penalty and finished fifth. He had been judged to intentionally stop his car at the last curve to slow the drivers - including Alonso - behind him in the final minute.


Schumacher goes into the race on the back of a convincing home victory in the German Grand Prix, where Alonso struggled with tire blistering problems and came in a distant fifth.


Today's race is 70 laps of the 4.381-kilometer (2.722-mile) circuit.


Source: The Scotsman