From correspondents in Americas, 12:30 PM IST

The possibility that Ferrari driver Felipe Massa may become the first Brazilian to win the Formula 1 World Championship since 1991 has increased anticipation around the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix: 10 days before the race, it was sold out, and only a few tickets were available for qualifying sessions.

Tickets for the Nov 2 race at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo have been sold out for several weeks, although there were still some available for the qualifying session a day earlier, which is set to define the grid.

'We still have a few places on Saturday for Sector F (the most expensive, going for close to $200), that is all,' businessman Tamas Rohonyi told the daily Folha de Sao Paulo in an article published Friday.

The 2008 edition of the Brazilian Grand Prix is already guaranteed a record number of spectators: 75,000 are expected to gather at Interlagos in the hope that Massa will surpass current World Championship leader, the British McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)