Barrichello fulfils childhood dream with pole

After being narrowly beaten by Mark Webber in yesterday's first qualifying session, Barrichello made amends today, to the obvious delight of the Brazilian crowd packed into the Interlagos grandstands.

"I feel fantastic," said Barrichello. "Ever since I was a kid, all I wanted to do was to be here in a competitive car, waving at the crowd from pole position. It was great to see the reaction of the fans, even though I was keeping a close eye on Mark [Webber]. On my lap, I concentrated on not over-driving and not making any mistakes. Usually, I have the split times on display, but today I wanted to be on my own out on the track and I asked the team to switch it off."

Despite his efforts, Barrichello knows that the main focus remains the race on Sunday. "I had a good run, but all that counts is tomorrow. The whole day will be a chellenge and I know the pressure will build. But I am not worried about that and, like in a football match, you always play better at home."

The Brazilian also reckons that some insider knowledge will help him predict the weather for tomorrow's race. "I will be asking my grandmother about that later," he said.