- Title: Fans arrive for Brazil Grand Prix
- Date: 13th November 2016
- Summary: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL (NOVEMBER 13, 2016) (REUTERS) BILLBOARD SIGN FOR BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX FANS WAITING IN THE RAIN, SOME WEARING PONCHOS, SOME ON CELL PHONES FANS ARRIVING FAN PUTTING TICKET IN MACHINE TO ENTER (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) FAN, MARCOS VINICIUS DUARTE, SAYING: "It will be decided here today in Brazil." (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) FAN, MARIA APARECIDA MARTINS, SAYING: "Hamilton. Let's hope he has a turnaround and sends the decision to the last race." VARIOUS OF FAN, GILMAR DE SANTANA, TAKING PICTURES OF TRACK (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) FAN, GILMAR DE SANTANA, SAYING: "I believe that by 1 p.m., 12:30 p.m. the fans will be arriving near the track. The barbecue is already cooking. The expectations are good." COOK PUTTING MEAT ON SKEWER MEAT COOKING IN OVEN TRAFFIC LIGHT CHANGING FROM RED TO GREEN
- Embargoed: 28th November 2016 16:05
- Keywords: Lewis Hamilton Nico Rosberg Mercedes Interlagos
- Location: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
- City: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: Motor Racing,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA00158A21XB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Brazilian F1 fans arrived at the Interlagos track on Sunday (November 13) for what could be the race that decides the championship this year.
Lewis Hamilton stormed to pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday with Mercedes team mate and title rival Nico Rosberg joining the triple Formula One world champion on the front row.
With his title on the line, it was also one of Hamilton's most important in a roller-coaster season marked by mechanical setbacks.
Rosberg will take his first championship if he wins Sunday's penultimate race of the season but Hamilton, 19 points adrift, showed he will do all he can to take the fight down to the wire in Abu Dhabi with another dominant qualifying display.
Fan Marcos Vinicius Duarte predicted a win for Rosberg.
"It will be decided here today in Brazil," he said.
But Hamilton fan Maria Aparecida Martins had a different view.
"Hamilton. Let's hope he has a turnaround and sends the decision to the last race," she said.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen qualified third with Red Bull's Max Verstappen joining the 2007 world champion on the second row of the grid.
Ferrari and Red Bull also shared the third row with Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo qualifying fifth and sixth ahead of a race that could well be wet, with showers threatened.
Hamilton, fastest in all three phases of qualifying, was already lapping quicker than Rosberg's 2015 pole position time of 1:11.282 in the second session and again lit up the timing screens in the final shootout with a best lap of 1:10.736.
The pole was a record 19th in 20 races this season for Mercedes.
Rosberg, winner from pole in Brazil for the past two seasons, was quicker than Hamilton at the first split on his final lap but then faded to finish with a best of 1:10.838.
Brazilian Felipe Massa, a double winner at Interlagos in his Ferrari days, qualified 13th for Williams in his final home race before leaving Formula One while Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas starts 11th.
Jenson Button, who won the 2009 world championship at Interlagos for Brawn GP, qualified a disappointing 17th on the fourth anniversary of his and McLaren's last race win, also at the Sao Paulo circuit.
Button has one more race after Brazil before handing his seat to Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne.
Spanish team mate Fernando Alonso, whose two titles with Renault were won in Brazil, had a happier afternoon and will start 10th. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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