World champion Michael Schumacher has begun the 2001 season the way he finished last year, winning his fifth consecutive Formula One pole position Saturday at the Australian Grand Prix.

Schumacher, who was not injured in a spectacular accident Friday in which his Ferrari flipped twice in the air after spinning out of control, will be trying to defend his Australian title Sunday and continue a record which saw him win the last four races of 2000 from pole position en route to the drivers' title. The 32-year-old German trailed Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello with 14 minutes left in the hour-long qualifying session over the 3.29-mile Albert Park street course before posting a time of 1 minute, 26.892 seconds. Barrichello was second in 1:27.263, nearly four-tenths of a second behind Schumacher. Mika Hakkinen in a McLaren, trying to win his fourth consecutive pole in Australia, was third in 1:27.461. The one-two Ferrari finish in qualifying came despite both drivers losing time in Saturday morning's practice session. Barichello had engine trouble and Schumacher bearing problems that forced him to stop his car in the middle of the track for fear of risking damage to the undercarriage. Barrichello could only manage 13th-fastest in practice after suffering engine failure shortly after leaving the pits and completing only six laps in the first session.