BIG OPPORTUNITY: With Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa (right) and Michael Schumacher securing a 1-2 on the starting grid, the latter will fancy his chances of wrapping up the drivers' championship at Suzuka.

SUZUKA: Felipe Massa upstaged Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher by taking pole position on Saturday for the Japanese Grand Prix. Schumacher, with a possible Formula One title on the line in Sunday's race, was second, while reigning World champion Fernando Alonso starts from fifth position.

Schumacher and Alonso are tied atop the drivers' standings on 116 points after 16 races.

Schumacher, who will retire after this season, could wrap up his eighth world title if he wins on Sunday and Alonso drops out or finishes scoreless. Otherwise it goes down to the final race in Brazil.

Massa qualified with a lap of 1 minute, 29.599 seconds on the 5.8-km Suzuka circuit for his second career pole, ahead of Schumacher's 1:29.711.

Massa, who earned pole before winning this season's Turkish GP, also bettered the previous best time for a pole position of 1:31.317 Schumacher set in 2002 — the year of Ferrari's domination when it won 15 of 17 races.

The qualifying results: 1. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1:29.599; 2. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) 1:29.711; 3. Ralf Schumacher (Toyota) 1:29.989; 4. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 1:30.039; 5. Fernando Alonso (Renault) 1:30.371; 6. Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault) 1:30.599; 7. Jenson Button (Honda) 1:30.992; 8. Rubens Barrichello (Honda) 1:31.478; 9. Nick Heidfeld (BMW-Sauber) 1.31.513; 10. Nico Rosberg (Williams) 1:31.856. — AP

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