Massa beats Hamilton to pole

[fasteddy]

By Matt Beer Saturday, October 20th 2007, 17:04 GMT


Felipe Massa beat the title contenders to pole position at Interlagos after a commanding performance in qualifying.

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton will join Massa on the front row, with Kimi Raikkonen beating Fernando Alonso to third.

Massa was a comfortable four tenths of a second clear of his rivals after the first runs in Q3, and then improved his time by 0.2 seconds with his second lap.

Hamilton managed to go faster in the middle sector, but didn't quite have enough speed in the final part of the lap and missed pole by a tenth of a second.

Alonso had only been fifth quickest behind Red Bull's Mark Webber at first, but improved on his final run to take fourth, 0.034 seconds slower than third-placed Raikkonen.

Although Webber was unable to hang on to his top four spot, he still finished the session in a superb fifth place, with teammate David Coulthard completed a strong qualifying performance for Red Bull in ninth.

The BMWs took sixth and seventh, with Nick Heidfeld out-qualifying Robert Kubica with his last run after trailing the Pole throughout Q1, Q2 and the first Q3 runs.

Jarno Trulli recovered from a poor practice to take eighth, with Nico Rosberg filling the final top ten spot.

Renault's Heikki Kovalainen made a shock early departure from qualifying when he missed the Q1 cut by 0.024 seconds. The Finn will start 17th on the grid after a costly error at the final corner. It was a disappointing session for the team, as Kovalainen's teammate Giancarlo Fisichella only reached 12th.

Rubens Barrichello continued to show good form at home and came within 0.044 seconds of reaching Q3. He had to be content with 11th, but still out-qualified teammate Jenson Button for the first time since the Nurburgring, as the Briton struggled to 16th.

Both Toro Rossos escaped Q1 once again. Sebastian Vettel and Vitantonio Liuzzi will share the seventh row, ahead of Ralf Schumacher in his last start for Toyota.

Debutant Kazuki Nakajima had looked well-matched with Williams teammate Rosberg in Friday practice, but the GP2 graduate did not fare so well in his first F1 qualifying session and only managed 19th, between the two Super Aguris.

The Spykers completed the back row. Although Adrian Sutil's car ground to a halt with a fuel pressure problem after his first Q1 flying lap, he still managed to qualify ahead of teammate Sakon Yamamoto.

[fasteddy]

FORMULA 1? Grande Pr?mio do Brasil 2007Pos No Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
1 5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:12.303 1:12.374 1:11.931 20
2 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:13.033 1:12.296 1:12.082 19
3 6 Kimi R?ikk?nen Ferrari 1:13.016 1:12.161 1:12.322 20
4 1 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 1:12.895 1:12.637 1:12.356 22
5 15 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:13.081 1:12.683 1:12.928 24
6 9 Nick Heidfeld BMW 1:13.472 1:12.888 1:13.081 24
7 10 Robert Kubica BMW 1:13.085 1:12.641 1:13.129 23
8 12 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:13.470 1:12.832 1:13.195 25
9 14 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 1:13.264 1:12.846 1:13.272 24
10 16 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:13.707 1:12.752 1:13.477 24
11 8 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:13.661 1:12.932  12
12 3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:13.482 1:12.968  12
13 19 Sebastian Vettel STR-Ferrari 1:13.853 1:13.058  12
14 18 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Ferrari 1:13.607 1:13.251  12
15 11 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:13.767 1:13.315  12
16 7 Jenson Button Honda 1:14.054 1:13.469  12
17 4 Heikki Kovalainen Renault 1:14.078   7
18 22 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:14.098   6
19 17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:14.417   6
20 23 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 1:14.596   6
21 20 Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari 1:15.217   3
22 21 Sakon Yamamoto Spyker-Ferrari 1:15.487   6

[fasteddy]

Hamilton 'buzzing' despite losing pole

By Jonathan Noble and Biranit Goren Saturday, October 20th 2007, 17:36 GMT


Championship leader Lewis Hamilton said he was at all disappointed to miss out on pole position, after coming second to Ferrari's Felipe Massa in today's qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Hamilton appeared capable of beating Massa to pole when he set the fastest second sector on his final flying lap, but the Briton ended up just a tenth behind the Brazilian.

Crucially, though, he will start tomorrow's race in front of title rivals Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, who qualified third and fourth respectively.

"It was very, very close, and I really enjoyed the qualifying session actually," Hamilton said. "The car was great to drive, and the team did a good job in getting us out in good space.

"[My final lap] was a good lap. I lost a bit of time in the last corner - it wasn't a mistake, but I didn't want to lose what I had until then, so I lost half a tenth.

"So apart from that it was a perfect lap. I am very, very happy and this is a good place to start."

Hamilton, who leads Alonso by four points and Raikkonen by seven, is favourite to clinch his first world championship tomorrow, making him the first rookie champion - and the youngest ever.

But the Briton said he was not feeling under extra pressure and admitted he was relishing the challenge.

"I am buzzing, I am really excited," he said. "I feel very, very relaxed. The car feels good underneath me, I love the circuit, and the fans are enthusiastic. I am happy to see I have some support."

[fasteddy]

Alonso disappointed with fourth

By Michele Lostia Saturday, October 20th 2007, 17:47 GMT


Reigning world champion Fernando Alonso was clearly disappointed at qualifying only fourth for tomorrow's season finale in Brazil.

And the Spaniard pinned the result on the fact that he had to start the final part of qualifying behind McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Alonso needs to score four points more than Hamilton to retain the title, but the rookie Briton will start tomorrow's race in second place, with third title rival Kimi Raikkonen in third.

"I'm very disappointed," Alonso told Italian television RAI after qualifying. "Certainly fourth is very disappointing, but there's nothing to do about it now. I just need to think about tomorrow to try to do an impossible race."

Alonso said he was handicapped by the fact that he had to start the third part of qualifying behind Hamilton, which ultimately forced him to push too much in order to start his final flying lap before the session ended.

"The main problem was starting behind my teammate as usual," he said. "To pass the finish line with just three seconds to go makes you go too fast on the out-lap."

[fasteddy]

Hamilton apologises to Raikkonen

By Jonathan Noble and Biranit Goren Saturday, October 20th 2007, 18:07 GMT


Lewis Hamilton has apologised to title rival Kimi Raikkonen for disturbing his final qualifying lap at Interlagos today but emphasized he did his best to get out of the Finn's way.

Hamilton was coming out of the pits following his last tyre change in the closing moments of qualifying, just as Raikkonen was on his final flying lap.

The McLaren driver was seen slowing down off the racing line as the Ferrari powered past him, but Raikkonen went wide and lost crucial time in the process, eventually qualifying in third behind Hamilton.

Asked about the incident, Raikkonen stated: "For sure it didn't help. I ran wide after I went beside him and lost some time.

"I don't know exactly [how much time] we lost - I haven't seen the data - but for sure there could have been a slightly easier way to let me past.

But it is what it is now. I would rather be in the front, but third is an OK place to start the race from. We should have a good car and see what we can do tomorrow."

Hamilton himself said he was warned by the team of Raikkonen's presence and did the best he could to get out of his way.

"I came out of the pitlane, and the team said 'you will be coming close to Kimi, at that speed your mirrors are vibrating and you can't see'.

"I apologise if I got in his way, but I didn't think he was that close to me. I stayed where I was and braked. I didn't feel I hindered his lap, and I did get out of the way.

"I did the best job I could do," added Hamilton. "And I did apologise to him."

[fasteddy]

Brazil Saturday quotes: McLaren

 Saturday, October 20th 2007, 18:35 GMT


Lewis Hamilton - 2nd: "A fantastic last run for me which could have seen me possibly on pole. Overall I am happy with today's qualifying. The car is working well, and I feel really comfortable.

"Obviously it was a very close and tense session, but the team did a good job in making sure that we both got that final fuel burning lap. I am quite confident and relaxed for tomorrow, and I know what I have to do to win the championship. My focus is not on winning the race but the title."

Fernando Alonso - 4th: "Obviously I would have liked to be on the front row, but it was not to be. We made some changes to the car for qualifying but unfortunately they didn't work as well as we thought they would and as a result I was not totally confident with the car.

"However as we have seen in China a lot of things can take place during a long race, so we will have to wait and see what happens tomorrow."

Ron Dennis: "Both Fernando and Lewis did a great job in qualifying. We obviously cut it fine to ensure that both drivers got an additional fuel burning lap, but it all worked as planned. Fernando and Lewis had the same advantage, and its now really in their hands.

"It was obviously good for the crowd that Massa got pole, but we are trying to be disciplined and focus on the race and winning the World Championship with one of our drivers. The whole team look forward to the race which hopefully will be exciting for all the fans."

Norbert Haug: "A good basis to start this championship deciding race from. Lewis starts from the first row for the 12th time this season and Fernando is just 30 thousandths of a second behind Kimi on the second row.

"It will be a tough challenge, and the entire team is working hard to achieve the last and decisive step in the World Championship."

[fasteddy]

Hamilton not investigated after qualifying

By Jonathan Noble and Biranit Goren Saturday, October 20th 2007, 19:50 GMT


Lewis Hamilton will not face another investigation by the FIA race stewards at Brazil today, after Ferrari made it clear they have not protested his driving in qualifying today.

McLaren's Hamilton came out of the pits just as Kimi Raikkonen was on his final flying lap, and while the Briton stayed off the racing line and did not get in the Finn's way, his presence at that point of the circuit cost Raikkonen some time, as he went wide while overtaking the McLaren car.

Hamilton, who qualified second, apologised to third-placed Raikkonen after the session.

And although Ferrari said that incident cost their driver crucial time, the Italians did not protest Hamilton's driving to the race stewards, who in turn said they would not be investigating the issue.

Championship leader Hamilton is ahead of Raikkonen by seven points going into tomorrow's season finale. And the rookie driver faced some hostile quotes in the post-qualifying press conference.

"I am sure I am accused of something," Hamilton quipped. "I am here this weekend, I need to do a completely clean job and do enough to do a good job, not make mistakes, not get investigation for some things."

And he emphasised there was no intention to hinder Raikkonen's progress. "If anything, Kimi can win tomorrow's race and that will still be good for us," Hamilton stated.

"Although obviously it would be nice to beat him," he added.

[fasteddy]

Alonso fears title lost in qualifying

By Brian Homewood Saturday, October 20th 2007, 20:27 GMT


Fernando Alonso said he has likely lost his chance to win a third consecutive world championship by finishing fourth - and behind both Ferrari drivers - in qualifying for Sunday's decisive Brazilian Grand Prix.

Alonso, four points behind McLaren teammate and championship leader Lewis Hamilton, said he would have to depend on some misfortune for his opponents in order to win his third title in a row.

Asked about his title chances, Alonso told reporters on Saturday: "Less than yesterday, for sure."

"Unfortunately, one of the possibilities to win the championship was to win the race and put a Ferrari between us. Now, it's unlikely to happen.

"It seems impossible but you never know in Formula One."

Alonso's title hopes were revived in China two weeks ago when 22-year-old British rookie Hamilton skidded into a gravel trap, blowing his chance to wrap up the championship with one race to spare.

That Grand Prix was won by Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who is a further three points behind Alonso in the first three-way title decider since 1986.

"It's like China, I need a special race to become champion. If everything goes normally, then it's nearly over for me," said Alonso.

"It is not that I'm pessimistic, I am realistic and I know I need a race like China or something like that, a mechanical problem or something very unlucky for my opponents.

"We're only two hours after qualifying, and finishing fourth and throwing away a little bit my only possibility to win the race, which was to start in pole."

He said of his car: "The balance was not too bad, the car was quite good and we were not quick enough."

Alonso, who has not been on speaking terms with team boss Ron Dennis since the Hungarian Grand Prix in early August, also touched on his season and his frosty relationship with the team.

"In every championship or race, you learn things," he said. "For sure, I've learned things this year. It's not a secret that I didn't have the best relationship with the team.

"Even in the last race, we heard from the team principal that they were racing against me in a way, that is not very nice."

Dennis said after the race in Shanghai, when asked why they had not brought Hamilton in earlier for a tyre change, that "we were not racing Kimi, we were basically racing Fernando".

[fasteddy]

Dennis: FIA scrutineer not involved in race

By Jonathan Noble Saturday, October 20th 2007, 21:41 GMT


The special FIA scrutineer appointed to check on equality at McLaren between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton this weekend will not be involved with the team's race plans tomorrow, boss Ron Dennis has revealed.

Following recent hints from Alonso that things had not been completely equal between himself and Hamilton, the FIA appointed a special inspector to observe proceedings at the team during today's sessions.

On top of that, McLaren invited the Spanish motorsport federation chief Carlos Gracia and other FIA members to further prove that things were equal in how both drivers are treated.

Dennis said, however, that with the fight now focused on beating Ferrari at Interlagos tomorrow it was now no longer necessary for the extra scrutineer to be present in their garage.

"The guys from the FIA and Spain were invited guests," said Dennis. "They had the benefit of Pedro [de la Rosa] explaining everything and answering all the questions - giving a clear understanding of just how the data is available to all engineers on a constant basis. You can see everything.

"The different scrutineer? We were very comfortable to give him a headset to hear what the drivers were saying and, if any questions were asked, we could give him answers. That was just about today.

"We're not going to have these guys involved in tomorrow's race. That's where we really do have to do what we think is the right strategy to beat our competition - which is Ferrari. That is our competition."