Sao Paulo: The last battle between seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher and title holder FernandoAlonso officially begins on Saturday with qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Schumacher, retiring from Formula One after Sunday's race, will be fighting for his last pole position, hoping to keep alive his chances for an eighth title.
Alonso, who became Formula One's youngest champion by clinching the title at last year's Brazilian GP, can afford to play it safe. The Spaniard needs to finish eighth or better in the season finale to secure the championship. He can also win it regardless of his finish if Schumacher fails to win the race.
"We need to finish the race and avoid any risks," the Renault driver said. "Tomorrow (Saturday) we'll try to fight for the pole position, Sunday fight for a podium finish, and for sure, if with 10, 20 laps to go if I'm in a comfortable position we can drop back a little bit."
Alonso and Schumacher were separated by a little more than a tenth of a second in Friday's practice.
Schumacher was sixth fastest overall the 4.31-kilometer (2.67-mile) Interlagos circuit in 1:13.713, with Alonso finishing 10th in 1:13.820. Both were more than a second slower than McLaren test driver Alexander Wurz's fastest time of 1:12.547.
"The first impressions are good: The car and the Bridgestones (tires) seem to be working well," Schumacher said.
