Rosberg still fighting, claims Pole in Brazil; Hamilton a mere .033 behind; Massa grabs another 3rd for resurgent Williams
The temperature at Interlagos was cooler on Saturday than it had been for Friday’s practice sessions but Qualifying was red hot. Mercedes’ contender Nico Rosberg showed he was still game for the fight by just beating out his Championship-leading teammate Lewis Hamilton for Pole position in tomorrow’s race. With only two Grand Prix remaining and time running out on his title dreams, Rosberg was able to overcome a seemingly supreme lap by Hamilton in Q3 by a minuscule .033 seconds, proving that the difference between the two Silver Arrows aces this season is not due to outright speed but perhaps mental toughness. The German driver, who led much of the season only to see Hamilton rebound from numerous disappointments that might have dispirited a lesser competitor, also grabbed the Pole last week in Austin. But in that race Rosberg was yet again unable to keep his English rival behind him and had to settle for second place and an increasingly perilous points deficit. With only tomorrow’s race in Brazil and the double-point season finale in Abu-Dhabi, it’s up to Rosberg to regain the initiative and prove that he doesn’t wilt when the pressure is at its fiercest. It seems to me that Hamilton has already proven that point this season but both drivers are also at the mercy of their formidable but occasionally fragile equipment and one DNF could doom either one of them. As it so often does, pure luck could still play its part.
Mercedes-powered Williams was nearly as fast as the factory team and native son Felipe Massa did enough to best his excellent young teammate Valtteri Bottas. While it seemed that Massa might have something for the Silver Arrows in Q3, in the end he was well pleased to come home third on the grid and Williams, third in the Constructors’ points, was delighted to solidify their status as 2014’s most improved team with Bottas’ P4. McLaren’s Jenson Button, appearing to come to the end of his illustrious F1 career as rumors continue to swirl about Fernando Alonso taking his seat, had a very solid P5 while his junior teammate Kevin Magnussen, who will probably keep his ride next year, was P7. With the sixth best time, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel outdid his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who seemed to have an issue in the pits that forced him to scramble to get in a hot lap and could only muster a time good enough for 9th position. The Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen were 8th and 10th fastest respectively.
Top 10 Qualifiers here:
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:10.347 | 1:10.303 | 1:10.023 | 14 |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:10.457 | 1:10.712 | 1:10.056 | 14 |
| 3 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams-Mercedes | 1:10.602 | 1:10.343 | 1:10.247 | 17 |
| 4 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams-Mercedes | 1:10.832 | 1:10.421 | 1:10.305 | 17 |
| 5 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:11.097 | 1:11.127 | 1:10.930 | 16 |
| 6 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:11.880 | 1:11.129 | 1:10.938 | 19 |
| 7 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:11.134 | 1:11.211 | 1:10.969 | 16 |
| 8 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:11.558 | 1:11.215 | 1:10.977 | 18 |
| 9 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:11.593 | 1:11.208 | 1:11.075 | 20 |
| 10 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:11.193 | 1:11.188 | 1:11.099 | 18 |
Complete Qualifying results available at Formula1.com.
While Saturday was cool and dry such conditions are the exception rather than the rule this time of year in São Paolo. There is the very real possibility of rain tomorrow and when it rains at Interlagos it usually pours. With the racing surface notoriously slippery when wet it could well be a topsy-turvy kind of race where anything can happen and the consequences on the Championship could be huge. Watch it live on CNBC here in the States beginning at 11am EST Sunday morning to see how it all shakes out.