Rosberg edges out Hamilton to take 5th straight pole
SAO PAULO (AP) Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton will start on the front row for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.
Rosberg qualified first on Saturday, barely edging out Hamilton. It was Rosberg's fifth straight pole position.
Qualifying was essentially a replay of the three practice sessions in Brazil in which the two drivers alternated being the quickest - as they have been all season.
Qualifying was run before a sparse crowd, kept down partly because there is little left to be decided in the penultimate race of the Formula One season.
The sport has also been hurt by a steep recession in Brazil and the fact that neither of the two Brazilian drivers in the field - Felipe Massa and Felipe Nasr - are title contenders.
Hamilton won the title last month in the United States Grand Prix, and Mercedes has already clinched the constructors' championship. Rosberg is trying to nail down second place.
Hamilton has won 10 of 17 races so far this season, and victory Sunday would match his 2014 total. One race remains after Brazil - the Abu Dhabi GP on Nov. 29.
Michael Schumacher won 13 of 18 races in 2004, and Sebastian Vettel took 13 of 19 in 2013.
Rosberg clocked 1 minute 11.282 seconds, and Hamilton was next in 1:11.360. Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari was third and Valtteri Bottas of Williams was fourth.
Host venue Interlagos, located about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the center of Sao Paulo, is famous for its wet weather. But qualifying was run on a hot, dry track and Sunday's forecast shows a slight chance of showers.
