Ferrari pair on front row at Suzuka

Formula 1:  Felipe Massa will do his utmost to support world championship-chasing team-mate Michael Schumacher after the pair…

Formula 1:  Felipe Massa will do his utmost to support world championship-chasing team-mate Michael Schumacher after the pair secured both positions on the front row of the grid for the Japanese Grand Prix grid at Suzuka.

Massa claimed the second pole position of his career as Schumacher's title rival Fernando Alonso slipped back to fifth as the race for the championship reaches its climax with only two races remaining.

Toyota drivers Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli fill the second row, finishing in third and fourth respectively, to leave Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone claiming the first four positions at their home circuit.

"For sure, we need to think about the whole race," said Massa. "The start is important as you can lose positions. You need to think about the whole race.

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"I am really open to help Ferrari to win both championships, everything is open and I am really motivated to celebrate both championships at the end of the year."

The Ferraris - who trail Renault by one point in the constructors' championship - dominated the entire session, with both Schumacher and Massa consistently posting the fastest times, although it looked like the German would take pole as time ran out.

But, with virtually the last lap of the afternoon, Massa blitzed the opposition to finish in a time of 1 minute 29.599 seconds, more than one-tenth of a second ahead of his team-mate.  PA