Michael Schumacher’s chances of retiring from Formula One with one final championship took a hit on Saturday.
A mechanical problem in qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix sent the seven-time champion to the middle of the starting grid, behind series leader Fernando Alonso of Renault. Schumacher will start Sunday’s season finale in 10th position, while Alonso will start fourth.
Schumacher’s Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa, racing in front of his home crowd, won the pole position in one minute, 10,680 seconds at the 4,3km Interlagos circuit.
”It is more difficult from 10th position,” Schumacher said. ”The only thing we do now is wait and see how the race will develop and make the best you can out of the situation. It would have been nice and more interesting to drive the race from the front.”
Schumacher, ending a 16-year Formula One career, trails Alonso by 10 points and needs to win Sunday’s race to keep alive his chances for the title. Alonso can win his second consecutive championship by finishing eighth or better.
”Things are looking better for us, for sure, but we cannot write him off,” Alonso said, referring to Schumacher. ”My aim will be to get a good start and fight at the front.”
Schumacher’s chances for the pole were shattered because of a mechanical failure in the last part of Saturday’s qualifying session. ”The car had a fuel-pressure problem and all I could do was cruise around slowly back to the pits,” he said.
The seven-time champion sat in his car while Ferrari mechanics frantically tried to fix the problem. ”I tried to concentrate, maybe we could repair it and still go out,” Schumacher said. ”It obviously took too long.”
He wasn’t able to leave the pits for a hot lap until less than two minutes remained in the session, and didn’t post a time. ”Of course I am disappointed, but these things can happen,” he said. ”The only good part of today is that Felipe is on the pole.”
It was Massa’s third career pole position. He won his first Formula One race from the pole at the Turkish Grand Prix in August. ”It’s a sensational day for me, I’m sure I’ll never forget — this race is very special,” Massa said. ”The Brazilian fans deserved this. It’s one of the happiest days of my life.”
McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen, runner-up in the last two races in Brazil, was second in 1:11,299, followed by Toyota’s Jarno Trulli in 1:11,328.
Alonso, who earned the pole last year in 1:11,988, timed 1:11,567 on Saturday.
”The target this afternoon was to be in the top five, so I am very happy with this position,” Alonso said. ”Starting from the second row is perfect for our approach this weekend, and so far everything is going to plan.”
Schumacher had been more than a second faster than Alonso in the final practice before qualifying on Saturday. He also had the fastest overall time in qualifying with 1:10,313, but it came in the second knockout stage of the session and didn’t count at the end.
”Obviously, the problem for Michael is another bit of help for us, not just for me but for the team as well in the constructors’ championship,” Alonso said. ”We will take anything we can get.”
The last battle between the 25-year-old Spaniard and Schumacher is on Sunday.
Alonso, who became Formula One’s youngest champion by clinching the title at last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix, is racing with a slower but more durable engine than teammate Giancarlo Fisichella this weekend, trying to avoid failures that could keep him from finishing the race. Fisichella qualified in sixth place with a time of 1:11,629.
Driving his last race before moving to McLaren, Alonso is seeking not only his second straight Formula One title but another constructors’ crown for Renault.
The 37-year-old Schumacher hopes for an eighth title for himself while seeking a 15th title for Ferrari, which trails Renault by 11 points in the constructors’ race.
Schumacher — racing in his 250th Grand Prix — entered the weekend admitting the drivers’ title was practically out of reach, and that his focus was on the constructors’ race. — Sapa-AP