Renault's Jarno Trulli maintained his recent improvement by pushing Formula One's top stars down the pecking order following qualifying one for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.
Trulli, who scored his first podium for Renault in finishing third at the German Grand Prix three weeks ago, posted the fastest time round the modified Hungaroring circuit.
The 29-year-old Italian, starting eighth as the initial qualifying session sees the drivers head out in current championship order, clocked a time of one minute 22.358 seconds for the 4.384km track which now has a lengthened pit straight.
Trulli knocked the Williams-BMW of Ralf Schumacher off top spot by just over five-hundredths-of-a-second, with the German serving notice he is far from out of the title race just yet, despite trailing current championship leader and brother Michael by 18 points.
The Jaguar of Mark Webber completed the top three, with the Australian barely a quarter-of-a-second adrift, although there was the clear indication different fuel loads were being employed.
David Coulthard, who today re-signed for McLaren for a ninth consecutive year, was fourth as he finished within half-a-second of Trulli, with Rubens Barrichello in the Ferrari taking fifth, the second Renault of Fernando Trulli sixth and Olivier Panis in the Toyota seventh.
The 'number one' drivers for the top teams, and the main championship protagonists, were left trailing in eighth, ninth and 12th respectively, with Williams-BMW's Juan Pablo Montoya ahead of Schumacher in the Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen's McLaren.
Jenson Button, who has stated his dislike for this circuit, was 13th in his BAR, almost two seconds adrift along with Justin Wilson who was 15th in the Jaguar, while the Jordan of Ralf Firman was 17th and close to three seconds off the pace.
Times in today's first qualifying session for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix:
1. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Renault one minute 22.358 seconds
2. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Williams 1:22.413
3. Mark Webber (Australia) Jaguar 1:22.625
4. David Coulthard (Britain) McLaren 1:22.786
5. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 1:22.892
6. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 1:22.953
7. Olivier Panis (France) Toyota 1:22.986
8. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) Williams 1:23.305
9. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1:23.430
10. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Sauber 1:23.482
11. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany) Sauber 1:23.660
12. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren 1:23.695
13. Jenson Button (Britain) BAR 1:24.313
14. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BAR 1:24.333
15. Justin Wilson (Britain) Jaguar 1:24.343
16. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Jordan 1:24.725
17. Ralph Firman (Britain) Jordan 1:25.223
18. Jos Verstappen (Netherlands) Minardi 1:26.052
19. Nicolas Kiesa (Denmark) Minardi 1:27.023
20. Cristiano da Matta (Brazil) Toyota 1:55.138