SAO PAULO — Lewis Hamilton grabbed pole position for Sunday's championship showdown Brazilian Grand Prix Saturday as he and his McLaren team upstaged the title fighters and locked out the front row for the fourth time this year. In his final qualifying session for the team before leaving to join Mercedes next year, the 27-year-old Britain clocked a fastest lap of one minute and 12.458 seconds to outpace fellow Briton Jenson Button by one-tenth of a second. The dazzling performance from the two McLaren men left championship contenders, defending champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull down in fourth and his title rival, two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, in eighth. Both of them were out-qualified by their teammates Australian Mark Webber, who was third for Red Bull, and Brazilian Felipe Massa who was fifth-fastest on his home track for Ferrari. Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado was sixth for Williams ahead of German Nico Hulkenberg of Force India with Finn Kimi Raikkonen taking ninth spot on the grid for Lotus ahead of German Nico Rosberg of Mercedes. Rosberg's teammate and compatriot seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, 43, and heading into retirement after his final race Sunday, was down in 14th place. Hamilton's pole was his first in Brazil, his seventh this year and the 26th of his career and helped the team to a record 67th front row lockout in Formula One. He had pledged he would do all he could to depart McLaren with a win in his 110th and final race and did all he could to set it up. Schumi's curtain call In the expected tumult of the championship celebrations that will follow Sunday's championship-deciding Brazilian Grand Prix, one man will linger, take it all in and make a quiet, dignified exit. Michael Schumacher, veteran of 305 Grands Prix starts, 91 race wins and seven world championships, will bid farewell to a sport he has graced, upset, laced with controversy and at times turned into a processional march through the record books. When the 43-year-old parks his Mercedes in the team garage Sunday he will begin his second retirement, three seasons after his return to the sport and after rarely reproducing the speed and aggression of his years at Jordan, Benetton and Ferrari. But he will do so knowing he has created moments of drama and delivered hints of the talent that once burned so brilliantly. “This time round, I will be able to pay more attention to my farewell and hopefully savor it too,” said Schumacher, when asked to reflect on his feelings ahead of his final race. “I have had fantastic years in Formula One and a lot of support from fans around the world, and I wish to particularly thank them for that. “Of course, I would be happiest if I could say goodbye with a strong race and I am sure we will be doing everything we can to make it happen.” For Schumacher's fans, as in 2006, there is an air of disappointment about his exit because it has come not by choice, but circumstance. When he retired after the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix, it was after Ferrari had made clear it was signing Kimi Raikkonen from McLaren. This time around, it is another McLaren driver, Hamilton, who has to be accommodated by the German's departure as Mercedes build for the future. But unlike 2006, Schumacher is not involved in a title battle with Fernando Alonso. Instead, he will be battling to score his first points since the Italian Grand Prix in September and secure a mid-table finish. “My departure will probably be less emotional for me this time than in 2006, when we were still fighting for the championship and everything was much more intense,” said Schumacher. “I am hoping to do a decent competitive race and to be able to enjoy it.” Schumacher bows out with a fitting message for fans on his race helmet: “Life is about passions — Thank you for sharing mine.” — Agencies
