Massa claims pole in Turkey

Formula 1: Brazilian Felipe Massa put his Ferrari in pole position for the Turkish Grand Prix for the second year in a row.

It is the fifth time this season - and eighth time in his career - the Ferrari star will start from top spot on the grid.

Current championship leader Lewis Hamilton managed to split the Ferraris in his McLaren as he joins Massa on the front row, with Kimi Raikkonen third ahead of Fernando Alonso.

Britain's Hamilton leads his Spanish team mate in the championship by seven points with six races remaining. Raikkonen is third, 20 points off the lead, with Massa one point further adrift.

Massa won last year's race in Turkey, in what was also his first grand prix victory, after securing the first pole position of his Formula One career.

Mercifully for McLaren there was no controversy to mar qualifying as was the case at the last grand prix in Hungary.

Hamilton's decision to disobey team orders and not allow Alonso by at the start of Q1 led to the reigning world champion deliberately blocking the 22-year-old Briton and incurring a grid penalty in Budapest.

The duo then fell out with one another, but cleared the air in a face-to-face meeting on Thursday, with both claiming the matter is now in the past and they have buried the hatchet.

Unlike at the Hungaroring when Alonso set off immediately behind Hamilton, the two drivers were comfortably spaced.

Hamilton was second out on the track for the final 15-minute run, with Alonso last of the drivers competing in the top-10 shoot-out.

But despite that advantage for Alonso, he failed to make it pay and potentially faces a tough battle to close the seven-point gap on Hamilton.

Massa, who only qualified 14th in Budapest due to a number of problems, wore a big smile this time as he said: "It was very tough, very tight.

"You could say that through qualifying for all four drivers, but I put in a great lap and I am very proud, especially after such a bad result in Hungary."

Hamilton was happy enough with second, stating: "I'm quite pleased with that.

"I kept on pushing, losing a bit of time in the last corner, which is a tricky corner. But it's good for us and good for the team.

"The car is good. The team have been pushing to gain another step. We've a good package, which stands us in good stead to have a fight with the Ferraris."

Hamilton revealed there were independent pit crews for himself and Alonso to ensure there was no repeat of the incidents in Hungary.

"It was easier to have two pit crews, and I think it worked quite well," assessed Hamilton.