The Finn set a lap of one minute 14.070 seconds to beat Michael Schumacher's Ferrari by just over 0.2secs.

Schumacher's title rival Fernando Alonso could manage only seventh place as his Renault team struggled.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa was third with the revived Hondas of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello next, sandwiching Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella.

Raikkonen managed to momentarily snatch the spotlight from Alonso and Schumacher's title race with the ninth pole position of his career.

The 26-year-old, on engine partner Mercedes' home ground, leapt to the top of the timesheets with an unexpected turn of pace in the final session of qualifying.

Despite bouncing through the gravel on his final flying lap, Raikkonen's earlier effort was enough to deny the Ferraris of Schumacher and Massa. The session also saw an upturn in Button's fortunes for Honda. The Englishman has not scored points for the last five races but could end that drought after recording his best qualifying result since the San Marino Grand Prix in April.

Further down the results, Toyota driver Ralf Schumacher could only manage eighth after suffering minor damage in a tangle at the hairpin with McLaren's Pedro de la Rosa, who starts ninth.

Meanwhile, Scotland's David Coulthard also made it through to the pole position shoot-out but could improve no further and starts 10th in his Red Bull. The qualifying hour started in dramatic style, with the first session lasting just five minutes before Scott Speed's accident brought out the red flags.

The Toro Rosso driver dropped a wheel on to the grass on the exit of turn one and lost control before careering backwards into a concrete wall. Both Super Aguris also missed the cut but the F1 new boys showed improvement with their new car, which is making its debut this weekend.

Takuma Sato split the Midland pair of Christijan Albers and Tiago Monteiro to take 19th, within three seconds of the fastest time in that session.

Jarno Trulli's efforts in setting the 13th-fastest time were wasted as he will drop to the back of the grid after his 10-place penalty following a Toyota engine failure in the morning. He is joined by Albers, who suffered the same problem on Friday.

Meanwhile Motorsport boss Max Mosley wants Formula One to focus on fuelefficient engines rather than chasing raw power.

"F1 could be positioned at the cutting edge of fuel-efficiency research and development, " said the FIA president.

"I realise it is more comfortable to continue in the old ways and hope everything will be all right. But that is a recipe for decline and failure." Mosley has also written to the 11 teams to confirm a freeze on engine development from 2008.

F1 has seven engine providers . . . BMW, Ferrari, Honda, Mercedes, Renault, Toyota and Cosworth. Fiatowned Ferrari, Honda, Toyota and Cosworth supply two teams each.

The FIA is re-writing the engine regulations from 2008, when the Concorde Agreement governing the sport expires, to cut costs and level the playing field.

The engines used in 2008 will be the same as those in use on 1 June 2006. "It is to be hoped that everyone will agree to use these engines also for 2007 and thus avoid pointless and wasteful development work for just one season. "It would demonstrate environmental relevance to the world's policy makers and accelerate environmental benefits for the world's motoring consumers."