SEPANG, Malaysia, March 22, 2008 (AFP) - Brazilian Felipe Massa gave Ferrari the boost they needed after their opening-race disaster in Australia by securing pole position Saturday for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The Italian team put their troubles at the season-opener firmly behind them by securing the front of the grid at Sepang, with defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen alongside Massa.

The 26-year-old Brazilian said he was determined to win Sunday´s race following both drivers´ failure to finish in Melbourne.

"We had a weekend to forget in Australia and now I hope we can have a reliable car and finish off the job we have done here so far," said Massa. "I was lucky to have a really great lap and I found the grip for the car in that session."

The Sao Paulo-born star grabbed his 10th pole with a masterful fast lap late in the qualifying session when rain was threatening, but only a few drops fell. "It was no problem. We were watching for the weather and there were a few drops, but that was all," he said.

Raikkonen, from Finland, was upbeat about his chances from second on the grid.

"If it rains, it will be tricky, as it always is here, so we have to see. This is a traditional circuit and not at all like Melbourne so we have to see what happens to show us where we are," he added.

Behind the two Ferraris on the second row of the grid will be the McLarens of Finn Heikki Kovalainen, who was third fastest, and the Australian Grand Prix winner and early-season championship pacesetter Briton Lewis Hamilton, who was fourth.

"It was not my objective to beat Lewis at all, but to do my best for the team. But, of course, it is always good to be faster than him when I can be because he is a very good driver, very fast," Kovalainen said.

The 23-year-old Hamilton remained upbeat about his chances of winning on Sunday though he recognised that the two Ferraris have recovered well from their Australian debacle.

The Briton was also surprised to find himself outpaced by team-mate Kovalainen.

"I was a tenth off Heikki, but quite a long way off the Ferraris, so it will be interesting to see what their strategy is," said Hamilton, who was last year the most successful rookie in the history of Formula One, missing the championship by just one point in the final race.

"Warming up your tyres and brakes all comes into the equation, and I´m sure I didn´t get the best job done, so we´ve got to see where we can find some time," he added.

He said he did not think that difficulties he had on his first lap when he was trying to build up momentum caused him serious problems.

"I wouldn´t say it put me off my stride, but finding a gap was very, very tough," he said

"I wouldn´t say we´re on the back foot, but for sure they´ve got a very quick car."

Italian Jarno Trulli was fifth for Toyota, ahead of Poland´s Robert Kubica, his BMW team-mate Nick Heidfeld of Germany and Australian Mark Webber, who made up a little for his Melbourne disappointment by taking eighth place for Red Bull.

Double world champion Fernando Alonso of Spain was ninth for Renault and German Timo Glock in his Toyota was tenth.

The session began in overcast, humid and warm conditions. The air temperature was 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) and the track temperature 40 degrees.

Trulli topped the times in the first part-session ahead of Kovalainen, Massa and Hamilton.

As the clouds gathered, it was the two McLarens of Kovalainen and Hamilton who were first to the end of the pit lane in readiness for the final part-session to decide the front five rows.

On their first runs, the Ferraris were clearly quickest and were the only two cars to duck beneath 1:37 as the last ten runners this time lapped with the fuel loads they will carry on to the starting grid.

The Ferraris improved again on their second runs, with Massa clocking a best lap of 1:35.748 to take pole while Hamilton managed to improve enough to join his McLaren team-mate Kovalainen on the second row.