MONZA, Italy, Sept 8, 2007 (AFP) - Spain's double world Formula One champion Fernando Alonso threw down the gauntlet to McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton by racing to pole position for the Italian Grand Prix here on Saturday.

It was the 17th pole of Alonso's career and came as a timely boost as he attempts to close a five-point gap on Hamilton in the drivers championship with five races remaining.

Alonso clocked a best time of one minute and 21.997 seconds to outpace Hamilton by just one-tenth of a second.

Brazilian Felipe Massa was third for Ferrari ahead of Nick Heidfeld of Germany in the leading BMW Sauber. Finn Kimi Raikkonen was fifth in the second Ferrari and Poland's Robert Kubica sixth in the second BMW.

The session was run in warm, dry conditions under blue skies at the old Autodromo Nazionale in Monza's former royal park. The air temperature was 28 degrees Celsius and the track temperature was 33.

The first part of qualifying resulted in the removal of the slowest six cars and drivers. They were Japan's Sakon Yamamoto and his Spyker team-mate German Adrian Sutil, veteran Briton David Coulthard, 36, in a Red Bull and Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi in a Torro Rosso, German Ralf Schumacher in a Toyota and Takuma Sato of Japan in a Super Aguri.

This early session was led by Alonso, with a best time of one minute and 21.718 seconds, and his team-mate Hamilton, who clocked a best time of 1:21.956.

Massa was third-fastest in this mini-session in 1:22.309 ahead of Raikkonen in the two Ferraris.

The second part saw the field reduced to the top ten only and the removal of German Sebastian Vettel, 20, in his Torro Rosso, a hugely-disappointed Italian Giancarlo Fisichella in a Renault, Briton Anthony Davidson in a Super
Aguri, Austrian Alex Wurz in a Williams, Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in his Honda and Australian Mark Webber in a Red Bull.

Alonso was fastest again in that period ahead of Hamilton, the Spaniard clocking 1:21.356 with Hamilton just three-tenths of a second behind him.

Start grid
1st row
Fernando Alonso (ESP/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:21.997
Lewis Hamilton (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:22.034
2nd row
Felipe Massa (BRA/Ferrari) 1:22.549
Nick Heidfeld (GER/BMW Sauber) 1:23.174
3rd row
Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 1:23.183
Robert Kubica (POL/BMW Sauber) 1:23.446
4th row
Heikki Kovalainen (FIN/Renault) 1:24.102
Nico Rosberg (GER/Williams-BMW) 1:24.382
5th row
Jarno Trulli (ITA/Toyota) 1:24.555
Jenson Button (GBR/Honda) 1:25.165
6th row
Mark Webber (AUS/Red Bull) 1:23.166
Rubens Barrichello (BRA/Honda) 1:23.176
7th row
Alexander Wurz (AUT/Williams-BMW) 1:23.209
Anthony Davidson (GBR/Super Aguri F1 Team) 1:23.274
8th row
Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA/Renault) 1:23.325
Sebastian Vettel (GER/Toro Rosso) 1:23.351
9th row
Takuma Sato (JPN/Super Aguri F1 Team) 1:23.749
Ralf Schumacher (GER/Toyota) 1:23.787
10th row
Vitantonio Liuzzi (ITA/Toro Rosso) 1:23.886
David Coulthard (GBR/Red Bull) 1:24.019
11th row
Adrian Sutil (GER/Spyker MF1) 1:24.699