Birthday boy Ralf Schumacher shattered the lap record and seized the first pole position of hisFormula One career in the qualifying session for the French Grand Prix today.
For the third race in succession, the front row was kept in the family but this time older brother Michael could not match the Williams's turn ofspeed.
But it was agonisingly close, with triple world champion Michael's Ferrari crossing the line on his last flying lap just 0.01 seconds slower thanRalf's fastest time.
In Canada and at the European Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring last Sunday, Michael was on pole with Ralf second but this time the juniorSchumacher gave himself a perfect 26th birthday present.
Ralf's time of one minute 12.989 seconds blasted aside the previous lap record of 1:13.864 set by Briton Nigel Mansell - also in a Williams - in1992 qualifying.
It also left him perfectly placed to get his own back by preventing Michael securing his 50th career win and sixth of the season on Sunday.
Michael won the last race in Germany after a veering start that left Ralf with no choice but to back off or risk a collision either with a concretewall or his brother's car.
Mansell still holds the race lap record of 1:17.070 but one or other of the Schumachers, if not Ralf's Colombian team mate Juan Pablo Montoya,looks sure to smash that on Sunday.
Montoya was sixth fastest in 1:13.625.
David Coulthard, 24 points behind triple champion Schumacher and second in the overall standings, was third fastest in his McLaren aheadof team mate Mika Hakkinen in fourth place.
Jordan's Jarno Trulli shared the third row with Montoya, while Frentzen beat Rubens Barrichello’s Ferrari for seventh.
Once again, the battle at the sharp end of the grid appeared to be mainly between Ferrari and Williams, who have won more races atMagny-Cours than any other team.
Benetton, who had hoped long-awaited engine improvements would push them up the grid, fared little better than earlier in the season with ItalianGiancarlo Fisichella 16th and Jenson Button behind him in 17th place.
French veteran Jean Alesi gave the home crowd little comfort with only the 19th fastest time in a Prost.
Eddie Irvine struggled to keep his Jaguar on the track despite looking promising in the early stages of the session.He finished in twelfth.
