German driver pips Alonso to pole position at home Grand Prix
German driver pips Alonso to pole position at home Grand Prix
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German Sebastian Vettel was overjoyed Saturday after he clocked the fastest time in front of his home fans in qualifying for Sunday's German Grand Prix.
That completed a hat-trick of pole positions and gave the 23-year-old his sixth of the season, meaning Red Bull have now taken ten from eleven races this year.
Vettel shouted, "Yeh baby!" after being given the news that he had won a close battle between himself Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.
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| Red Bull's German driver Sebastian Vettel celebrates at the Hockenheimring circuit after the qualifying session of the Formula One German Grand Prix on Saturday. PIC/AFP |
"It will be interesting to work out how much distance two thousandths of a second is! All session Fernando was very strong and Ferrari are generally very competitive," said the German "It was very exciting and in Q2 I knew we had one lap to get it right.
It was close and you push a little bit more and you lose the edge of the tyres and then feel you are losing time. My last run wasn't 100 per cent perfect, I had a bit here or there where I went above the limit but in the end it was enough by nearly nothing to stay ahead and get on pole."
Alonso, who will start second on the grid ahead of Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa, said he was surprised to be challenging the Red Bulls for pole.
"We always expect the Red Bulls in Q3 to give something more ... in Q3 they are usually far away," said Alonso.
"So we were surprised to be that close and finally fighting for a pole position after 10 races. It took a bit longer but now we are very close."
Australian Mark Webber will start fourth and admitted that he had had a poor start to his final lap. He said: "I got a little bit wide on the entry to turn one, it wasn't good enough and I lost the position to Felipe which was a shame."
McLaren drivers Britons Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will start fifth and sixth respectively. Button said: "I was happy with Q3 and my lap but I don't know where seven tenths are, we don't have the pace of the Red Bulls which is quite worrying."
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