The Ferrari driver snatched top spot on the grid for Sunday's race at the end of a thrilling shoot-out seeing off team-mate Michael Schumacher by 0.3sec.
ISTANBUL: Brazil's Felipe Massa stole the limelight from the championship contenders to scorch to the first pole position of his career at the Turkish Grand Prix on Saturday.
The Ferrari driver snatched top spot on the grid for Sunday's race at the end of a thrilling shoot-out seeing off team-mate Michael Schumacher by 0.3sec.
Massa, 25, had finished second in qualifying four times this year in his first season as a Ferrari racer.
But he grabbed pole with a last-gasp flying lap to take advantage of a rare mistake by Schumacher who had drifted wide at the first corner.
"I will never forget this moment," said Massa, after spearheading Ferrari's fourth one-two in qualifying this year. It will be a very tough start, but I think it is good to put both cars in the front. I'm looking forward to a very quick and consistent pace in the race."
Reigning champion Fernando Alonso had to settle for third for Renault as his championship battle with Schumacher hots up. Alonso leads Schumacher by just 10 points in the standings with five races left this season. Team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella was fourth.
Schumacher said, "I ran wide twice at turn one. But it is a great job by Felipe and I am very happy for him. We are on the front row and that is where we want to be. This year we have a car which you drive in the position you want to go. That makes it fun because the circuit is a great challenge. Not only turn eight."
Alonso said, "I am very happy as we knew for one timed lap Ferrari were too strong. But we believe more in our pace for the race. With Fisichella fourth it is the maximum the team could have done. There is always pressure in F1, it doesn't matter what position in the championship you are. With five races to go it is very important. But we still have to do our maximum. I think tomorrow we will have a chance so why not be optimistic."
Germany's Ralf Schumacher posted the fifth fastest time but will drop 10 places on the grid for Sunday's race after fitting a new Toyota engine.
Nick Heidfeld was sixth for BMW with Jenson Button, who won the last race in Hungary, seventh after at one stage looking on course for pole for Honda.
Last year's winner Kimi Raikkonen was eighth for McLaren with Poland's Robert Kubica equalling his career best qualifying with ninth for BMW. Mark Webber completed the top 10 for Williams.
McLaren's Pedro de la Rosa, who finished a career best second at the last race in Hungary, will struggle to repeat that after missing out on the top 10 shoot-out. He finished 12th fastest.
Also missing out were Red Bull's Christian Klien, Toyota's Jarno Truill, Rubens Barrichello of Honda and BMW's Nico Rosberg.
Dutchman Christian Albers had made it through to the second session where he finished 16th for Midland. But he will be relegated 10 places on the grid anyway for changing an engine.
The major casualty of the first session was Red Bull's David Coulthard who could only finish 17th. The 35-year-old Scotsman has just been handed a new deal by the team but this was not the way he would have wanted to celebrate.
Others to bow out were Midland's Tiago Monteiro and both Toro Rosso and Super Aguri drivers.
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