Panasonic Toyota Racing's Jarno Trulli (1m11.328s) will start the final round of the 2006 Formula 1 World Championship from third place on the grid in Brazil. Trulli's qualifying performance equals the team's best starting position of the season, achieved by Ralf Schumacher at the previous race in Japan.

With team mate Schumacher seventh at Interlagos, Toyota goes into tomorrow's race hoping it can overhaul BMW Sauber in the Constructors' Championship and take fifth place from the Swiss/German team, which enjoys a single point advantage. The BMW Saubers, driven by Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, also qualified in the top 10 and will line up eighth and ninth on tomorrow's grid.

"It's great to be challenging at the front of the grid," Trulli said. "I've been wanting to finish on the podium all year and it would be a good way to end the season. I am optimistic because we have been looking competitive so far."

Schumacher added: "This is a positive result for both of us and gives us a good basis for a strong performance tomorrow when, hopefully, we can move the team up in the championship standings."

The Brazilian Grand Prix marks the last race for seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. Schumacher set the quickest time in the low-fuel Q2 session, but he was forced to return to the pits with a problem as soon as the final session began, meaning he starts tomorrow's race 10th on the grid provided that the team can pinpoint the problem.

Home hero Felipe Massa (1m10.680s) took pole position with the second Ferrari, with McLaren Mercedes driver Kimi Raikkonen (1m11.299s) joining him on the front row. Reigning champion Fernando Alonso, who needs just a single point to retain his championship irrespective of Michael Schumacher's result, lines up fourth with a lap in 1m11.567s.

Rubens Barrichello (1m11.619s), another driver racing in front of his home crowd, starts fifth, just 0.01s quicker than Giancarlo Fisichella, who is hoping to back up team mate Alonso and secure back-to-back Constructors' titles for Renault. Directly behind Ralf Schumacher (1m11.695s), Heidfeld starts eighth, immediately in front of Polish team mate Robert Kubica.

"As usual at Interlagos the lap times were very close, with just half a second covering third to eighth on the grid," said Senior General Manager, Chassis, Pascal Vasselon. "I think we could see a very interesting race and we will be doing everything we can to finish the season with strong points-scoring results from both cars.

"Jarno missed out on a front row start by just three hundredths of a second and another tenth of a second would have put Ralf fifth on the grid, so clearly we are looking competitive. With our tyre choice we took into account that we are in Brazil a little later than usual and that the weather may be a little cooler. I am confident that we will also have good race pace."