Formula 1
Rivals Daunted By Dominant Vettel Pole
By Motorsport.com/GMM
Edited: Mar 27, 2011, 2:53 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Sebastian Vettel on Saturday kicked off his title defence with a dominant run to pole position in Melbourne.
I'm a bit mystified with the gap to Seb, to be honest
Mark Webber
"What did he do, a (1 minute) 23-5? Ah, yes," McLaren's Jenson Button, fourth on the grid and 1.2 seconds slower, answered when asked if the German's performance is daunting given that his KERS unit failed during Q3.
Even more daunted, however, is Mark Webber, whose deficit to his Red Bull teammate is almost nine tenths.
"I'm a bit mystified with the gap to Seb, to be honest," said the disappointed Australian.
Feeling happier is Lewis Hamilton, who put the much-improved McLaren on the front row next to Vettel despite also suffering a KERS failure.
"I don't think he would have got Sebastian but it definitely would have been closer," his boss Martin Whitmarsh told the BBC.
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: xpb.cc
Underperforming on Saturday was Ferrari, with Fernando Alonso just fifth on the grid after a promising winter.
Alonso said: "We expected to be fifth but we are not so happy about the distance to pole.
"It's true it (the gap) is very big, but I expect that this was not our normal pace and we will get better."
At the back, the Virgins will be relieved to have simply qualified, which is more than can be said for the HRTs driven by Vitantonio Liuzzi and Narain Karthikeyan.
"They (Hispania) are a waste of talent and petrol as far as I'm concerned," said British commentator Martin Brundle. "They should not be allowed on the track."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article F1 Qualifying Press Conference
Next article McLaren Saturday Report
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Lewis Hamilton
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
Formula 1
Formula 1 14 h
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Formula 1
Formula 1
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
More from
Ferrari
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Latest news
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 14 h
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 14 h
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
16 h
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
18 h
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe