Lewis Hamilton has secured pole position for his final race with McLaren at Interlagos.
The Englishman pipped Mark Webber to the front spot, while his teammate Jenson Button then came home in second to bump the Australian into third.
Championship leader Sebastian Vettel will start in fourth, while his title rival Fernando Alonso could only manage eighth.
You can read how all the action from a vital qualifying session unfolded below.
Welcome to Sports Mole for live coverage of the final qualifying session of the 2012 Formula 1 season.
It has been a fantastic season, which has seen Sebastian Vettel recover 40 points since the summer break to hold the fate of the title in his hands on this final leg.
McLaren have shone in practice by topping all three sessions but, worringly for Fernando Alonso, Vettel has been second in all three as well.
There has been a lot of talk about the weather this weekend. It's been an interesting sideshow, as pit crews seem edgy about the prospect of a downpour at Interlagos. There are a few spots at the moment, but nothing too serious.
Q1 is underway at Interlagos...
The teams have all opted to start their run on the medium tyres.
Timo Glock and Heiki Kovalainen nearly collide as they go around their hairpin. The German is currently in the lead but is playing dangerously with the Finn...
Raikkonen is still in the garage watching from inside his car on a monitor. He will be hoping that his garage his sorted his engine problems from this morning.
Jean-Eric Vergne is currently the fastest man on the track with 1.22.355. Paul di Resta is about to come out of the garage.
Nico Hulkenberg is running on intermediates. He's been told to come back in immediately should he not feel comfortable on the damp track.
He doesn't look fast and he's been told to pit for a change.
Sergio Perez and Bruno Senna look like they're driving on ice through the middle sector, where the track is wet.
Vettel comes out on hard tyres.
Here comes Alonso and he's been given seven laps by the Ferrari team.
Bruno Senna is currently top dog with 1.17.803, followed by Pastor Maldonado and Jean-Eric Vergne.
Well, I spoke too soon. Lewis Hamilton sets 1.17.772 to go top.
Senna and Maldonado are back in the garage content that they have done enough for a place in Q2.
Alonso and Massa are now second and third. Michael Schumacher is the only man yet to set a time.
It's changing rapidly at the top, as Paul di Resta, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton quickly swap place as leaders. The laps are getting faster and faster as the tyres warm up.
Grosjean collides with De la Rosa! He looks to have done some damage to his front right wing! The Frenchman is on the brink of falling into the knockout zone with only two minutes remaining!
Drivers knocked out: Grosjean, Petrov, Kovalainen, Glock, Pic, Karthikeyan, De la Rosa.
Big shock as Romain Grosjean bows out in Q1. Hamilton was the fastest, followed by Bruno Senna. It was a furious first 20 minutes, in which the drivers shot up and down the board... not too dissimilar to 'Wacky Races'.
It's the final race of the season and my first reference to that particular show. Give me a break...
The drivers have their fuel on board and Q2 begins...
The incident between Grosjean and De la Rosa is under investigation. We'll keep you informed.
Alonso clocks 1.14.631 to go top. Still just over 10 minutes left, however...
No Red Bulls or McLarens on the track yet.
Alonso and Massa lead Hulkenberg and Senna. Vergne and Raikkonen struggling, as are Perez, Di Resta, Ricciardo and Maldonado. Hamilton and Webber emerge from the pits.
Vettel also comes out. Five minutes remaining.
Hamilton goes fastest with 1.13.398.
Vettel clocks 1.13.209. Alonso's hot lap is only good enough for seventh!
Senna, Massa, Schumacher, Perez, Ricciardo, Kobyashi and Vergne are all in the drop zone. 90 seconds remaining.
Every driver is out on the track at the moment. Di Resta, Hulkenberg and Alonso all teeter on the brink of the dreaded knockout zone.
Massa squeezes into 10th! Alonso is ninth! How close was that?!
Drivers out: Di Resta, Senna, Perez, Schumacher, Kobayashi, Ricciardo, Vergne.
Bruno Senna can't make it into Q1 for his home grand prix. Michael Schumacher has also been cut, along with Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi.
It's not looking good for Alonso. He can't find any pace at the moment, while Sebastian Vettel was quickest in Q2.
Q3 is underway with Nico Rosberg...
The German can only manage 1.22.398. We're on board with Hamilton now, who sets a quick first sector...
Hamilton posts 1.12.850! That's the fastest today.
Button is not far behind his teammate, with Webber in third. Alonso is currently faster than Vettel, but we have just over three minutes remaining.
Hulkenberg wedges himself in fourth, splitting Hamilton, Button and Webber from Massa, Alonso and Vettel.
Webber looks pacy through the first sector. Can he set a leading time?
He can! He takes provisional pole with 1.12.581!
HAMILTON SNATCHES POLE FROM WEBBER!
Button now takes second, while Webber and Vettel share the second row! Alonso could only manage eighth!
Hamilton, Button, Webber, Vettel, Massa, Maldonado, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Raikkonen, Rosberg.
Plenty of sullen faces in the Ferrari garage. Their man has a mountain to climb tomorrow. Lewis Hamilton continues his fine late-season form to take pole. Ferrari tell Sky Sports News that they will not make Felipe Massa take another penalty to move Alonso up the grid, as they did last week.
Alonso is a specialist driver in wet conditions. He'll be doing a rain dance tonight, as it seems the only way he'll be able to beat Vettel.
Thanks for joining us for this crucial qualifying session. Join us tomorrow when we find out who will be crowned the 2012 world champion. Until then...
