Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix on pole position in his farewell to McLaren, with teammate Jenson Button alongside.
Red Bull's championship leader Sebastian Vettel qualified fourth on Saturday with his sole title rival, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, lining up in eighth place.
Vettel, chasing his third title in a row, leads Alonso by 13 points.
The pole was McLaren's first in Brazil since Mika Hakkinen in 2000 and the team's 62nd front-row lockout.
Photograph: Ricardo Moraes / Reuters