Brazilian Felipe Massa [Images] seized pole position from Ferrari [Images] team mate Kimi Raikkonen [Images] at the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday.

Massa, no fan of the twisting street circuit, kept away from the metal barriers as he blasted to his 12th Formula One pole position and third of the season in a time of one minute 15.787 seconds.

World champion Raikkonen had moments earlier lapped in 1:15.815.

It was Ferrari's first pole in Monaco since Michael Schumacher [Images] in 2000.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton [Images] was third quickest on an all-McLaren second row with Finnish team mate Heikki Kovalainen.

BMW [Images] Sauber's Polish driver Robert Kubica shared the third row with Germany's [Images] Nico Rosberg in a Williams while double world champion Fernando Alonso [Images], winner for the past two years in Monaco, was seventh for Renault.

Red Bull's David Coulthard crashed heavily towards the end of the second session as he emerged from the tunnel, the fastest point of the twisting street circuit where cars reach around 280 kph.

The Scot, twice a Monaco winner with McLaren, hit the guardrail before skidding down an escape route after the harbour chicane with one of the car's rear wheels breaking away and bouncing down the track.

Coulthard, at 37 the oldest driver on the starting grid, escaped unhurt.

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