Hulkenberg blazes his way to pole

Title-chasing compatriot Sebastian Vettel will start second on Sunday for championship leaders Red Bull with Australian team-mate and rival Mark Webber third next to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

Ferrari's overall leader Fernando Alonso, who can become the sport's youngest triple world champion on Sunday, qualified fifth.  The Spaniard is 11 points ahead of Webber with two races remaining, 21 clear of Hamilton with Vettel a further four behind.

McLaren's reigning world champion Jenson Button, who is 42 points adrift and must win on Sunday to have any chance of staying in the title hunt to the final race in Abu Dhabi, qualified a disappointing 11th.

Hulkenberg's astonishing pole, his time more than a second quicker than Vettel on a drying track, was former champions Williams' first since May 2005 and first of the 23-year-old's career.

The Cosworth-powered team last won a race in 2004 -- with Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya at the same Interlagos circuit. Germany's Nick Heidfeld, at the Nuerburgring, was their last driver on pole.

“It's amazing, I still can't believe it,” said Hulkenberg, whose future at Williams is still unclear with the team making clear that commercial considerations will be a factor in their choice of drivers for 2011.

“To go on slicks was obviously the right decision,” added the youngster, so unused to being in the limelight that he had to be guided through the post-qualifying press conference routine.

Vettel, who has taken nine poles this season, was as surprised as anyone to be beaten by a driver who has scored just 18 points this season and not qualified higher than fifth.