 | | Felipe Massa, centre, Lewis Hamilton, right, and Kimi Raikonen are the fastest qualifiers |
Felipe Massa, Brazilian local hero, took pole position in his Ferrari for the decisive final Formula One Grand Prix of the season at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo.
Massa, who is out of contention for the title but may still play a big part in its outcome, finished with a best lap time of one minute and 11.931 seconds, with Lewis Hamilton, championship leader, in second place less than a tenth of a second behind. Massa, born in Sao Paulo and winner of last year's race, saw Ferrari teammate Kimi Rakkkonen clock the third-best time ahead of fellow title contender and defending champion Fernando Alonso who was fourth for McLaren. The qualifying result means that Hamilton, nick-named 'Rubinho' by the Brazilian public, will start on the front row of the grid with Massa in an ideal scenario for the local public and a good opportunity for Hamilton to keep his two title rivals behind him.
The 22-year-old, who will become Britain's first world champion since Damon Hill in 1996 if he wins or comes second, said: "I feel very confident. I really hope the weather is good and we can have a good weekend. "I'm just buzzing, I'm really excited. I feel very relaxed, the car feels good and I love the circuit." Lewis Hamilton,
McLaren F1 driver
"I've seen quite a few British flags out there and I'm really happy to see the support."
It was a dramatic final qualifying session that ended in the final seconds.
Alonso was among the early fastest runners, but he was soon outpaced by Massa and then quickly by Raikkonen as Hamilton moved into second.
With only four minutes remaining, the two Ferraris swept to the top of the times with Raikkonen and then Massa clocking the best times of the session before Hamilton raced through to claim second.
"It would have been nice to take pole but our objective is to win the championship with one of our drivers," Ron Dennis, McLaren boss, said.
"We're focussed on that, now we're looking forward to a good clean fight for the title."
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Tags: Formula One Grand Prix
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