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Nico Rosberg beat Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton to the pole position for the Mexican Grand Prix, sending a message to the season champion that the German still has some fight left in their simmering rivalry.
The feud between Rosberg and Hamilton flared anew last week when Hamilton passed Rosberg late to win the United States Grand Prix, which clinched Hamilton's third season championship.
Rosberg's best lap of 1 minute, 19.480 seconds Saturday was .188 seconds faster than Hamilton.
Formula One is back in Mexico for the first time since 1992.
Rosberg is battling Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel for second in the driver's standings with three races to go. Vettel will start third Sunday. Force India's Sergio Pérez, the crowd favorite, will start ninth.
Red Bull, which ran strong through each session, qualified fourth and fifth with Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo.
Hamilton has 10 wins this season and could still tie Vettel's season record of 13, set with Red Bull in 2013.
Rosberg earned his fourth consecutive pole position, but none of the previous three produced victories.
The drivers had a much easier time than Friday's opening practice session when everyone struggled to get used to the slick new surface. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez got a US$50 million facelift for F1's return, including a new surface that reduced the old bumpy ride on the course that hosted grand prix from 1963-1970 and 1986-1992.
The course was also modified to soften the notorious old Peraltada turn that had been considered the one of the most dangerous in racing and was the site of some spectacular wrecks and heart-pounding passing.
The new section sends the drivers through the middle of the old baseball stadium on site, with tens of thousands of fans cheering them through. The track also features the longest straight in Formula, a where cars hit a blistering 226 mph (364 kph) in qualifying.
Ferrari has been resurgent this season after a dismal 2014. Vettel has won three times, most recently four races ago in Singapore. He currently holds second in the driver's standings, a mere six points ahead of Rosberg.
