Lewis Hamilton won the pole position for the season-ending Brazilian GP on Saturday, while F1 leader Sebastian Vettel will start fourth and title challenger Fernando Alonso only eighth.
Hamilton set a lap of 1 minute, 12.458 seconds with his McLaren at Interlagos, just in front of team-mate Jenson Button.
Vettel's Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber will start third after a lap of 1:12.581, and Ferrari's Felipe Massa fifth after clocking 1:12.987.
Alonso only managed a lap of 1:13.253, hurting his chances of overtaking Vettel for the championship.
Vettel needs to finish fourth or better on Sunday to become champion. Alonso, also seeking his third title, needs at least a podium finish to have any chance of overcoming the 13-point deficit he has to Vettel.