Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany (left) takes a photograph with a fan after the qualifying session for the Korean Grand Prix at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, yesterday.
YEONGAM, South Korea: Runaway championship leader Sebastian Vettel grabbed pole position yesterday for the Korean Grand Prix, pipping Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
Vettel’s Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber was third fastest in qualifying for today’s grand prix but a 10-place grid penalty from the previous race in Singapore relegates him to a lowly 13th.
In-form Romain Grosjean of Lotus was fourth fastest at a sparse and increasingly overcast Yeongam circuit, ahead of Hamilton’s team-mate Nico Rosberg.
They will line up together on the second row because of Webber’s reprimand for hitching a lift with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso at the end of the Singapore race two weeks ago.
Alonso, who is the closest challenger to Vettel in the title race but still a hefty 60 points behind with six races left, was sixth fastest.
His team-mate Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez, both of Sauber, and the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen rounded out the top 10.
Vettel’s third pole position on the trot came courtesy of a scorching time of 1min 37.202sec, edging out Hamilton with 1min 37.420sec. Victory today for Vettel, 26, would see him put one hand on the drivers’ crown -- for what would be his fourth world title in a row.
The peerless German clenched his fist and held up a single finger to signal his status as undisputed number one as he returned from his lightning lap. And he even appeared to share a joke with Australian team-mate Webber -- a rare moment of camaraderie between two rivals whose always difficult relationship hit new lows earlier this season when Vettel ignored team orders and overtook Webber to win in Malaysia.
AFP
