SUZUKA: Dominant double world champion Sebastian Vettel took pole position at the Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix for the fourth year in succession on Saturday with team mate Mark Webber to start alongside the German on an all-Red Bull front row.
Ferrari’s championship leader Fernando Alonso, who is 29 points clear of Vettel with six races to go, will start on the third row in sixth place, while Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi in a Sauber delighted the home crowd by taking third.
Jenson Button was demoted five places for a gearbox change to eighth while McLaren team mate Lewis Hamilton will start ninth. Frenchman Romain Grosjean (Lotus) will line up in fourth ahead of Mexico’s Sergio Perez (Sauber) in fifth.
Vettel’s 34th career pole lifted the 25-year-old to third in the all-time list behind seven-time champion and compatriot Michael Schumacher (68) and the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna (65).
“We had a very smooth qualifying session, nearly perfect,” said Vettel, who has won two of the last three races at the figure-of-eight circuit.
“I couldn’t really ask for more. The car felt fantastic from the start.”
Michael Schumacher, who announced his second retirement at Suzuka on Thursday, will start his last Japanese Grand Prix on the back row due to a 10-place grid penalty imposed for a collision with Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne in Singapore.
Force India to start 11th and 15th
Meanwhile, Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg qualified 10th but will start from 15th position on the grid after being handed a five-place penalty due to an unscheduled gearbox change following a crash in practice on Saturday.
Paul di Resta qualified 12th but will move up one place to 11th, just behind Felipe Massa of Ferrari.
“The build-up to qualifying was quite intense because the guys were working hard to repair my car after the accident this morning.
“It was not a big impact, but the angle was unfortunate and there was quite a lot to fix,” he said.
Di Resta was bullish about his prospects, saying, “For tomorrow it’s clear that tyre wear will be a big issue for everyone, but hopefully we can use the strategy to challenge the people in front. (Agencies)