Magny Cours, France ? Fernando Alonso won the pole position for the French Grand Prix ahead of six-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

The Renault driver had the fastest time of 1 minute, 13.698 seconds Saturday on the 2.74-mile Nevers-Magny Cours circuit. Renault is a French carmaker, with many fans at the track.

“Any pole position is great, but to do it here is very important,” Alonso said.

Schumacher, second in 1:13.971, has won eight of nine races and is a six-time French GP champion.

“We are in the first row, so we will be there,” he said.

Schumacher and Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello have combined for six 1-2 finishes, including the last three races.

Brother Ralf Schumacher won last year’s French Grand Prix, but will miss today’s 70-lap race after cracking two vertebrae in a crash at the U.S. Grand Prix.

He will be sidelined until at least September.

Alonso had two pole positions last year: at Hungary in August 2003, when he became the youngest Formula One driver to win a Grand Prix race a few weeks after his 22nd birthday; and also at Malaysia, when he became the youngest driver to gain a pole position at 21 years, 9 months in March.

David Coulthard was third in the new model of the Mercedes-Mclaren, the first time for his team in the top three in qualifying this season.

Juan Pablo Montoya had the fastest time in pre-qualifying, 1:13.377, after doing poorly in the last practice. During qualifying, the Williams-BMW driver was timed in 1:14.172 for sixth.

Barrichello, second in the last three races behind Schumacher, had to start first in qualifying after hydraulic problems prevented him from going out in prequalifying. He was timed in 1:14.478 for 10th.

The controversial one-lap system was in effect. Each car goes out for a lap to establish a pre-qualifying time before returning for the official qualifying. The teams submitted a proposal to change the system, but it was rejected earlier in the week by Formula One. The system already has been changed once this season.