Nico Hulkenberg grabs dramatic pole position at Brazil
Nico Hulkenberg claimed the first pole position of his Formula One career after a frantic qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Many expected championship leader Fernando Alonso and the two Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel to take pole, but it was the Williams driver who stunned the paddock to slam his car on top spot.
With the qualifying session beginning in wet conditions, the quicker drivers adapted well, coping and getting faster. When the final qualifying session started, the drivers started on the intermediate tyres, but the track dried up and they quickly switched to dry tyres with minutes remaining.
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton had provision pole, but then Hulkenberg put in an impressive time, before Alonso took charge. However, rookie Hulkenberg set the fastest time, and the others couldn’t match it, and Hulkenberg, knowing he was on pole, completed his final lap to go more than a second faster than the rest of the field.
“My first pole position is an emotional and hopefully historic moment as I want to be in Formula One for many, many years,” he said. “I am still shaking from the thrill and I just want to enjoy it and get on with the job tomorrow.
“It was a pretty good lap with no mistakes. It was still tricky out there. There were wet parts, particular the last corner. But that lap was spot on,” he added.
Vettel managed to post a time faster than Webber and starts from second on the grid, with Webber in third. Hamilton fell to fourth, while Alonso will start the race tomorrow in fifth.
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