Local hero Massa grabs pole for Brazilian Grand Prix

By Volker Gundrum Oct 21, 2006, 19:03 GMT

Brazilian Formula One driver Felipe Massa of Scuderia Ferrari F1 team reacts after clocking the fastest time at the Qualifying session at the racetrack in Interlagos near Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday 21 October 2006. The F1 Grand Prix of Brazil will take place on Sunday 22 October. EPA/KERIM OKTEN

Sao Paulo, Brazil - Ferrari's Felipe Massa on Saturday took pole position for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix, beating Kimi Raikkonen in a McLaren-Mercedes into second place.

There was disappointment for seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher who will retire at the end of the race - the final of the 18-race season.

The German, who two weeks ago saw his title ambitions all but blow up in smoke when his engine blew while he was leading the Japanese Grand Prix, suffered a further setback as he failed to register a time in the third qualifying session.

Schumacher, who posted the fastest time in the second session of the qualifying, developed a car problem on his warm up lap in the third session and had to limp back to the pits.

The Ferrari driver needs to win the race and hope that defending champion Fernando Alonso fails to finish in the top eight to win an unprecedented eighth title.

'Winning the race has just been made ten places more difficult. We will have to see what happens in the race, but it will certainly not be easy. I will not make any predictions though,' he said after the qualifying session.

'There was a problem with the fuel coming through to the engine and there was no way we could manage a fast time. I had to drive back to the pits.'

But while Schumacher will start from tenth on the grid, Renault's Alonso finished with the fourth-fastest time to get a place on the second row on the grid alongside Jarno Trulli in a Toyota.

Schumacher's former Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello, who now drives for Honda, finished with the fifth-fastest time for a place on the third row of the grid. Starting next to him will be the second Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella.

Ralf Schumacher in a Toyota and Nick Heidfeld in a BMW-Sauber will start from the fourth row.

But while Ferrari fans had little to cheer about Schumacher's performance, Massa provided some consolation.

The local hero needed one minute 10.680 seconds for the 4.309 kilometre-long lap on the Carlos Pace course.

Alonso leads the standings from Schumacher by ten points. The Spaniard has 126 points. Massa is third with 70 points, one ahead of Fisichella.

Renault also leads the constructors' standings with 195 points ahead of Ferrari who have 186.