From GMM and Pirelli
Sebastian Vettel on Saturday kicked off his title defence with a dominant run to pole position in Melbourne.
With a lap time of 1m23.529s on the soft-compound Pirelli PZero tyres, Vettel set the fastest lap in the 15-year history of the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne. The German driver also eclipsed his own 2010 pole time by more than four-tenths of a second.
"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. His boss Martin Whitmarsh told the BBC: "I don't think he would have got Sebastian but it definitely would have been closer."
Underperforming on Saturday was Ferrari, with Fernando Alonso just fifth on the grid after a promising winter. He said: "We expected to be fifth but we are not so happy about the distance to pole. It's true 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 2011 untested 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."
If HRT applied for an exemption from the 107 pc qualifying rule, the stewards, including former grand prix winner Johnny Herbert, did not agree that "exceptional circumstances" explained the team's lack of pace.
The grid will therefore feature 22, and not 24, cars for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.
Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying Results:
1. Row
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB7-Renault) - 1'23"529 - Q3
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/26-Mercedes) - 1'24"307 - Q3
2. Row
Mark Webber (Red Bull RB7-Renault) - 1'24"395 - Q3
Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/26-Mercedes) - 1'24"779 - Q3
3. Row
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari 150) - 1'24"974 - Q3
Vitaly Petrov (Renault R31) - 1'25"247 - Q3
4. Row
Nico Rosberg (Mercedes MGP W02) - 1'25"421 - Q3
Felipe Massa (Ferrari 150) - 1'25"599 - Q3
5. Row
Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C30-Ferrari) - 1'25"626 - Q3
Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso STR6-Ferrari) - 1'27"066 - Q3
6. Row
Michael Schumacher (Mercedes MGP W02) - 1'25"971 - Q2
Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso STR6-Ferrari) - 1'26"103 - Q2
7. Row
Sergio Perez (Sauber C30-Ferrari) - 1'26"108 - Q2
Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM04-Mercedes) - 1'26"739 - Q2
8. Row
Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW33-Cosworth) - 1'26"768 - Q2
Adrian Sutil (Force India VJM04-Mercedes) - 1'31"407 - Q2
9. Row
Rubens Barrichello (Williams FW33-Cosworth) - no time - Q2
Nick Heidfeld (Renault R31) - 1'27"239 - Q1
Sebastian Vettel on Saturday kicked off his title defence with a dominant run to pole position in Melbourne.
With a lap time of 1m23.529s on the soft-compound Pirelli PZero tyres, Vettel set the fastest lap in the 15-year history of the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne. The German driver also eclipsed his own 2010 pole time by more than four-tenths of a second.
"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. His boss Martin Whitmarsh told the BBC: "I don't think he would have got Sebastian but it definitely would have been closer."
Underperforming on Saturday was Ferrari, with Fernando Alonso just fifth on the grid after a promising winter. He said: "We expected to be fifth but we are not so happy about the distance to pole. It's true 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 2011 untested 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."
If HRT applied for an exemption from the 107 pc qualifying rule, the stewards, including former grand prix winner Johnny Herbert, did not agree that "exceptional circumstances" explained the team's lack of pace.
The grid will therefore feature 22, and not 24, cars for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.
Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying Results:
1. Row
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB7-Renault) - 1'23"529 - Q3
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/26-Mercedes) - 1'24"307 - Q3
2. Row
Mark Webber (Red Bull RB7-Renault) - 1'24"395 - Q3
Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/26-Mercedes) - 1'24"779 - Q3
3. Row
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari 150) - 1'24"974 - Q3
Vitaly Petrov (Renault R31) - 1'25"247 - Q3
4. Row
Nico Rosberg (Mercedes MGP W02) - 1'25"421 - Q3
Felipe Massa (Ferrari 150) - 1'25"599 - Q3
5. Row
Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C30-Ferrari) - 1'25"626 - Q3
Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso STR6-Ferrari) - 1'27"066 - Q3
6. Row
Michael Schumacher (Mercedes MGP W02) - 1'25"971 - Q2
Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso STR6-Ferrari) - 1'26"103 - Q2
7. Row
Sergio Perez (Sauber C30-Ferrari) - 1'26"108 - Q2
Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM04-Mercedes) - 1'26"739 - Q2
8. Row
Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW33-Cosworth) - 1'26"768 - Q2
Adrian Sutil (Force India VJM04-Mercedes) - 1'31"407 - Q2
9. Row
Rubens Barrichello (Williams FW33-Cosworth) - no time - Q2
Nick Heidfeld (Renault R31) - 1'27"239 - Q1