AUSTIN: Red Bull’s quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel seized pole position on Saturday (early Sunday, India time) for a US Grand Prix that could see him celebrate a record eighth successive win of the Formula One season.
The race was scheduled to begin at 12:30am IST on Monday, after going to press.
The 26-year-old German made sure of his 44th career pole with the last lap of the session, with Australian team mate Mark Webber having to settle for second on an all-Red Bull front row at the Circuit of the Americas.
The race will be the eighth time this season that Vettel, who clinched his fourth successive driver’s title in India last month, has started from pole and the second straight year in Texas.
If he wins, the champion will become the first driver to win eight races in a single season. The all-time record of nine in a row was set by Italian Alberto Ascari over the course of two seasons in 1952/53.
He will also stay on course to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 wins in a season, with only Brazil to come after Austin and 11 victories already under his belt.
“I’m trying not to think much about these things,” Vettel told reporters.
“I think it is not the right mindset to go into a race thinking about a higher target than just the race. I’ve done well with that kind of approach so far so I don’t see any reason to change.”
Meanwhile, Force India did not have the best of qualifying sessions, with Paul di Resta qualifying in 12th place and Adrian Sutil in 17th, although both received promotions as other drivers were subject to grid penalties. (Reuters)