SAO PAULO: Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull was fastest on a wet Interlagos track to take the pole position on Saturday for Formula One’s season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.
Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, had a lap of 1 minute, 26.479 seconds, more than half a second ahead of Nico Rosberg of Mercedes.
The result leaves the German driver in good position to try to equal Michael Schumacher’s 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and ’53 seasons.
Fernando Alonso of Ferrari finished third in 1:27.539. Vettel’s Red Bull teammate Mark Webber— who is leaving Formula One after Sunday’s race— will start fourth, ahead of Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. Heavy rain in Sao Paulo forced racing’s governing body FIA to delay the final round of qualifying by 40 minutes after conditions were deemed unsafe because of the “volume of water on the track.” It rained during all three practice sessions in Sao Paulo, but never as hard as it did in qualifying. Nearly all drivers went out immediately after the track opened to try to set a time before weather conditions deteriorated.
Webber had been fastest in the final practice on Saturday, but Rosberg led both sessions on Friday, also on a wet track. (Agencies)
