The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Motor : Massa grabs pole

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Sport - Racing : Motor

Massa grabs pole

SAO PAULO: Local hero Felipe Massa of Ferrari grabbed pole for Sunday’s F-1 championship showdown at the Brazilian Grand Prix with a dazzling lap in a dramatic and hotly-contested qualifying session.

Massa, who trails Lewis Hamilton by seven points in the title race, clocked a best time of one minute and 12.368 seconds in the third and final part of Saturday’s session.

Hamilton fourth

McLaren’s Hamilton, who needs to finish in the top five to become the youngest and first black champion in F-1 history, qualified fourth behind Massa, Italian Jarno Trulli in his Toyota and outgoing World champion Finn Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari.

It was Massa’s sixth pole position of the season.

Hamilton’s teammate, Finn Heikki Kovalainen, qualified fifth ahead of two times champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Renault.

On a warm, sunny day with vastly-improved conditions following Friday’s cold and wet weather, the session began slowly with Nelson Piquet venturing out first in his Renault to give his compatriots something to cheer.

Hamilton was quick to set a fastest time and the two Ferrari men, led by Massa had to wait until the final minutes to overhaul him.

Massa’s lap in 1:11.830 was the fastest of the weekend at that time.

Hamilton was obviously content to sit most of the session out and take third, but it was farewell to the five at the bottom with Japanese Kazuki Nakajima and his Williams team-mate German Nico Rosberg both eliminated along with the two Force India’s of German Adrian Sutil and Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and Briton Jenson Button of Honda whose car stopped out on the circuit.

Fisichella and Sutil finished 19th and 20th respectively.

Top10: 1. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1min 12.368sec; 2. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 1:12.737; 3. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:12.825; 4. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:12.830; 5. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:12.917.

6. Fernando Alonso (Renault) 1:12.967; 7. Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 1:13.082; 8. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) 1:13.297; 9. Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 1:14.105; 10. Timo Glock (Toyota) 1:14.230. — Agencies

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