BARCELONA, Spain, April 26, 2008 (AFP) - Defending drivers´ world champion and early season leader Kimi Raikkonen of Finland on Saturday secured pole position for Sunday´s Spanish Grand Prix.

But on a warm, dry and sunlit spring afternoon at the Circuit de Catalunya, it was the performance of local hero Spaniard Fernando Alonso that captured the public imagination.

Double drivers´ world champion Alonso clocked a superb lap in the closing seconds to go briefly top of the times and ended up second only after Raikkonen had eclipsed his effort in the final seconds.

Raikkonen´s Ferrari team-mate Brazilian Felipe Massa was third fastest ahead of Poland´s Robert Kubica in the leading BMW Sauber with Briton Lewis Hamilton struggling to make fifth place for McLaren Mercedes.

His team-mate Finn Heikki Kovalianen was sixth ahead of Australian Mark Webber in a Red Bull, Italian Jarno Trulli of Toyota, German Nick Heidfeld in the second BMW and Brazilian Nelson Piquet in the second Renault.

The first two mini-sessions saw the removal of 12 slower drivers from the fray.

In the first session, when Raikkonen was the fastest man, Briton David Coulthard in his Red Bull failed to make the cut by finishing 17th, just ahead of Sebastian Vettel of Germany in his Toro Rosso.

Also out went Italian Giancarlo Fisichella of Force India, German Adrian Sutil, his team-mate, Briton Anthony Davidson of the cash-starved Super-Aguri team and his partner Japanese Takuma Sato.

The second part-session saw the elimination of Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, in his Honda, Kazuki Nakajima in a Williams, Jenson Button of Britain in a Honda, German Timo Glock in a Toyota, German Nico Rosberg in a Williams and Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais in a Toro Rosso.