Championship leader Lewis Hamilton is on the verge on winning this season’s title with a superb second position despite home crowd hero Felipe Massa taking pole position at Interlagos.
Hamilton will have two of his main championship contenders behind him with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen third followed by McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso. Both the Iceman and the double world champion will have a difficult job in stopping Hamilton winning his first drivers’ title.
Mark Webber produced an outstanding job with fifth in the Red Bull. It was the best qualifying result for the Australian this season, ahead of both BMW-Saubers. Nick Heidfeld pipped his team-mate Robert Kubica by a small margin of 0.048 seconds. Toyota’s Jarno Trulli is in eighth position with David Coulthard ninth and Nico Rosberg’s Williams completing the top ten.
Lewis is in a prime position with a front row start in Sunday’s title-deciding race. He holds a four-point lead in the standings and will be going for the Grand Prix win in order to take the championship in style. But if Massa takes the chequered flag after 71 laps around the bumpy and demanding Sao Paulo race circuit, Hamilton will still take the prize by finishing ahead of Raikkonen and Alonso.
For the double world champion, the Spaniard is disadvantage not only is he running the Mercedes-Benz engine for the second race in row – but he also has two rivals ahead of him on the grid. Alonso only chance of winning his third successive drivers’ title will be going for the outright win and hoping that Hamilton finishes at least fourth or lower. He needs to score four points more than his McLaren rival to win. A tall order for Fernando after a disappointing fourth position.
As for Kimi Raikkonen, it would have been ideal to start alongside his Ferrari team-mate Massa on the front of the Brazilian grid. But since Hamilton grabbed second position due to his stunning second split time in qualifying, the Finn was forced down to third. Nevertheless, the Ferraris seems to have a slight edge in outright speed and the Iceman will take comfort that he can overtake the leading McLaren with a run into the first corner. Nothing less than race victory will do for Kimi and he hopes that both McLarens will score fewer points to take the title.
For Felipe Massa – taking his second successive pole position in Brazil with a lap time of one minute, 11.931 seconds – the Brazilian will have a difficult job in deciding the outcome of the championship. The Ferrari driver needs to play a supporting role for his team-mate, in order for the Iceman to win the title. In addition, he must prevent Lewis in going for the race win. So, what will it be? Go for race victory or not? It is down to the Ferrari team to manage the situation.
Whatever the outcome, Lewis Hamilton is looking the favourite to win the title thanks to his important P2 on the grid. If he does do the job in hand, then Lewis will join the impressive list of British drivers that won the Formula One drivers’ title including Jim Clark, John Surtees, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, James Hunt, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill. In addition, he will become the first F1 rookie to win the title in his debut season driving a McLaren that last won the championship back in 1999 (when Mika Hakkinen took the honours). My advice for Lewis Hamilton is to don’t take unnecessary risks in the Brazilian Grand Prix like staying out too long on worn Bridgestone tyres (like in China). As the saying goes in motor racing: “To finish first, first you have to finish.” Do this Lewis and you will become champion of the world in Formula One.
Brazilian Grand Prix starting grid
1. MASSA Ferrari 1:11.931
2. HAMILTON McLaren 1:12.082
3. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1:12.322
4. ALONSO McLaren 1:12.356
5. WEBBER Red Bull 1:12.928
6. HEIDFELD BMW 1:13.081
7. KUBICA BMW 1:13.129
8. TRULLI Toyota 1:13.195
9. COULTHARD Red Bull 1:13.272
10. ROSBERG Williams 1:13.477
11. BARRICHELLO Honda 1:12.932
12. FISICHELLA Renault 1:12.968
13. VETTEL Toro Rosso 1:13.058
14. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1:13.251
15. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1:13.315
16. BUTTON Honda 1:13.469
17. KOVALAINEN Renault 1:14.078
18. SATO Super Aguri 1:14.098
19. NAKAJIMA Williams 1:14.417
20. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1:14.596
21. SUTIL Spyker 1:15.217
22. YAMAMOTO Spyker 1:15.487