FELIPE MASSA claimed pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, but it was Ferrari team-mate Michael Schumacher who was unable to conceal his delight as the pressure in the battle for the Formula One drivers' crown increases once more.

Schumacher will line up beside Massa on the front row of the grid, with title rival Fernando Alonso on the third row after a session dominated by teams using Bridgestone tyres.

Toyota are the filling in the sandwich between the two world title contenders, with Ralf Schumacher finishing third fastest and Jarno Trulli fourth as the Japanese team recorded their best performance in qualifying this season.

"It's been a great weekend so far for us, except the Friday and the weather conditions, " said seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

"The weekend was supposed to be dry from today onwards and tomorrow, so we were confident in that area.

"We see from the Bridgestone side we're very strong, not only us but the Toyotas are very quick too. So that's a very good position for us, considering the race, considering the championship. Let's see what we can get out of tomorrow."

Schumacher has the slimmest advantage in his contest with Alonso for the title, leading the standings by virtue of his seven race wins to the Spaniard's six, with both having accumulated 116 points.

But, in qualifying, it was clear the Ferrari held the advantage as Schumacher posted the fastest times in each of the first two phases before Massa pipped him to pole in the final seconds of the third session.

Alonso is not ruling out his chances though. "In a way, we are happy because I think we did the maximum for the Michelin and for the car, " he said. To be fifth and sixth is good for us, to be honest. The race is still there. It's quite open and with good possibilities.

"In China everything looked so good for us, favourites and quite an easy race. We lost the race. Ferrari looks the same here, so we will see.

"They are the favourites for tomorrow but there are 53 laps in front of us and you have to finish these 53 laps with no mechanical problems, with no pit stop problems, no start problems.

"Anything can happen tomorrow and, starting fifth, the chances are still the same, they are still remaining very, very good."

The Toyota looked impressive following a disappointing season, and the younger Schumacher - who was the only non-Ferrari driver to circumnavigate the circuit in under 90 seconds - was delighted with his team's showing.

"It really was a great achievement for the whole team, " he said. "After the last two races (in Italy and China) we really needed to show where we are.

"We knew from the race before from the lap-time point of view that we were there but we really needed to show that and today, with Bridgestone tyres, it's pretty clear I think.

"We were really able to show that our package is a good car."

The Renault pair were the fastest of the Michelin runners, with Giancarlo Fisichella just behind Alonso in sixth, while Honda pairing Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello qualified seventh and eighth fastest respectively.

"I would obviously have liked to be further up the grid but we made the best of what we had today, " said Button.

"On low fuel, the car was very good but as soon as we put the fuel in we were struggling for rear grip."

Button has a successful record at Suzuka, finishing in the points on five of the six occasions he has raced at the Japanese circuit and he is hoping he can maintain a solid run of form that has seen him finish in the top five in each of the last five Grand Prix.

And while the blustery conditions hampered his qualifying run, the 27-year-old is confident of putting on a good show for the mass ranks of Honda fans in what will be the final Formula One race at the company's home circuit for the foreseeable future.

"For some reason, in these windy conditions, the car doesn't work so well but we're expecting it to be a lot calmer tomorrow, " he said.

Elsewhere, Nick Heidfeld finished with the ninth fastest time in the BMW Sauber and Nico Rosberg was 10th in the Williams.

McLaren, meanwhile, had a session to forget, with neither Kimi Raikkonen - last year's winner at Suzuka - nor Pedro de la Rosa quick enough to make it into the top 10.

"I don't really understand what the problem was as the car didn't feel too bad, " said Raikkonen. "We were just too slow.

"We will now have to look at the strategies available to us so that we can improve in the race tomorrow.

"It is not ideal to be starting where we are, but it is not impossible to still get a decent result."

To do that, Raikkonen, who posted the 11th fastest time of the day, will have to go some way towards repeating his heroics of last year, when he won despite starting at the back of the grid.

De la Rosa qualified 13th, just behind BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica, while it was also a disappointing day for Mark Webber in the Williams, who was 14th, just ahead of Tonio Liuzzi in the Toro Rosso and Spyker MF1's Christijan Albers.

In the first phase of qualifying, David Coulthard was an early casualty, falling outside the 16 fastest drivers and failing to progress into the next round.

"I love this track, it's a great challenge, but unfortunately our car just isn't generating the overall grip that's needed here, " said the Scot.

"The balance isn't too bad, it's as good as it's been during any other lap I've driven here.

We just lack efficiency on this type of high-speed circuit.

Joining the Scot on the sidelines was Red Bull team mate Robert Doornbos, as well as Toro Rosso's Scott Speed, the Spyker MF1 of Tiago Monteiro and Super Aguri duo Takuma Sato and Sakon Yamamoto.