Story highlights
Sebastian Vettel claims record 15th pole position in a season at Interlagos
World champion heads off Red Bull teammate Mark Webber in Saturday's qualifying
The German will be seeking his 12th win in 19 starts in Sunday's final race
McLaren's Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton third and fourth on the grid
Sebastian Vettel is poised to end the Formula One season as he started it after setting a new record in qualifying for Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver, already the sport’s youngest double world champion after clinching the 2011 title four races ago, surpassed Nigel Mansell’s 1992 mark of 14 pole positions in one year.
The 24-year-old, who also won in Brazil last year when it was the penultimate race, headed off teammate Mark Webber as he set the quickest lap time of one minute 11.918 seconds at Interlagos on Saturday.
“There has been quite some talk about this record and the best thing was not to think about it at all,” Vettel, who also topped Saturday’s final practice session after Lewis Hamilton dominated on Friday, told reporters.
“I am enjoying the moment. I put everything in the last lap and I was very emotional when I crossed the line as I knew that was all I had.
“Really special – it took the master in the discipline Nigel Mansell a couple of races less – and now I am looking forward to the race.”
Vettel will aim for his 12th win out of 19 starts this season, having failed to finish at the previous race in Abu Dhabi. Despite that, he still leads 2009 world champion Jenson Button by 119 points.
Nine of those victories have come from pole position – including the first two races of this season – and another will see him take outright second place behind Michael Schumacher’s leading 13 wins for a season set in 2004 from 18 starts. His legendary compatriot also won 11 from 17 in 2002.
Hamilton sets early pace in Brazil
Webber clocked 1:12.099 to claim second on the grid from McLaren’s Button (1:12.283) and Hamilton (1:12.480), with Ferrari’s two-time world champion Fernando Alonso fifth after his best lap of 1:12.591.
No-one else in the top 10 broke the 1:13:00 barrier, with Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg sixth ahead of Ferrari’s Brazilian driver Felipe Massa, Force India’s Adrian Sutil, and another home hope Bruno Senna in a Lotus-Renault.
Mercedes’ seven-time world champion Schumacher did not set a time in the third and final session.
Button is 10 points ahead of Alonso in the overall standings ahead of the season finale, with Webber another 12 back and 2008 world champion Hamilton 28 behind his teammate.
