Jenson Button was angry after qualifying just 14th at Interlagos, leaving him likely to be fighting down to the wire with his team-mate in two weeks and wondering if his car specification had been identical to the sister Brawn driven to pole by Rubens Barrichello.

Asked whether he had the same pressures in his wet tyres as Barrichello when struggling to progress through the Q2 session, the Briton answered: "I don't know. You will have to ask the engineers. I haven't asked that question yet, I have been too pissed off to ask any serious questions."

Button entered the weekend needing just third place to seal the title in the event that Barrichello wins; a task made very difficult by the outcome of the marathon qualifying.

The weather forecast for Sunday is for more uncertain conditions, but the chance of sustained afternoon rain is smaller than on Saturday.

And while Barrichello stormed to pole with a light fuel load, Button has taken advantage of his poor qualifying to add an extra 22 kilos to his tank. The Brazilian has enough fuel on board his BGP 001 to run until approximately lap 20 of the 71-lap race, while fellow front-row starter Mark Webber can complete two or three more laps before he is forced to pit. Button and Sebastian Vettel will not need fuel until laps 31 and 37 respectably.

Meanwhile, Ross Brawn admitted he would not mind if the championship went down to the wire between his two drivers in Abu Dhabi. "It would be fantastic if it went to Abu Dhabi between Jenson and Rubens - I think that would make a fantastic final to the season," he said, admitting that Sebastian Vettel's poor qualifying removes stress from Sunday's race.

Interlagos Qualifying Weight (kg)
P. Driver Car Weight
1 . N. Heidfeld - BMW Sauber F1.09 - 650.5 *
2 . R. Barrichello - Brawn Mercedes BGP 001 - 650.5
3 . K. Raikkonen - Ferrari F60 - 651.5
4 . F. Alonso - Renault R29 - 652.0
5 . R. Kubica - BMW Sauber F1.09 - 656.0
6 . M. Webber - Red Bull Renault RB5 - 656.0
7 . A. Sutil - Force India Mercedes VJM02 - 656.5
8 . H. Kovalainen - McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 - 656.5 *
9 . N. Rosberg - Williams Toyota FW31 - 657.0
10 . J. Trulli - Toyota TF109 - 658.5
11 . S. Buemi - Toro Rosso Ferrari STR4 - 659.0
12 . L. Hamilton - McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 - 661.0 *
13 . K. Nakajima - Williams Toyota FW31 - 664.0 *
14 . J. Alguersuari - Toro Rosso Ferrari STR4 - 671.5 *
15 . K. Kobayashi - Toyota TF109 - 671.6 *
16 . J. Button - Brawn Mercedes BGP 001 - 672.0 *
17 . R. Grosjean - Renault R29 - 677.2 *
18 . V. Liuzzi - Force India Mercedes VJM02 - 680.0 *
19 . G. Fisichella - Ferrari F60 - 683.5 *
20 . S. Vettel - Red Bull Renault RB5 - 683.5 *

* Declared weight (outside of top ten)

E.A. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM

 

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