Formula One news

Vettel delighted with second pole

Sebastian Vettel was overjoyed to have taken pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix, as the German completed just eleven laps in the qualifying hour to put a Red Bull on the front of the grid for the first time.

"It was always last minute," Vettel said in the post-session press conference. "I had only one run in Q1 on the hard (Medium compound) tyre, one run in Q2 with softs (Super Soft), and one in Q3 - as you can see you don't need more. It was not easy; we had a problem with the car so we tried to run as little as possible."

By performing only one flying lap in each stage of the session, the German has been able to save crucial sets of tyres. "The car is quick," Sebastian continued. "I had no concerns but, with only one lap, if you run wide or make a mistake it means the end."

Although Fernando Alonso shares the all-Renault-engineed front row, the second Red Bull of Mark Webber is just two places back from Vettel which could result in a strong race for the team, which is yet to win its first Grand Prix. "I am very, very happy," Vettel added, as his expression said it all. "Unbelievable - we made it to pole position in the end. This morning was not ideal, but it seems the less I run in free practice, the better in qualifying! I am happy with the team, all the mechanics are working really hard; they were working all night, so great job to them.

"I am happy that Fernando does not have KERS, because here the long straight can make a difference. We have to see how the car is after checking it in parc fermé, but I'm confident the boys will do a very good job. It's a long race, 56 laps, and it's the best position to start but we have not scored any points yet. There is a long way to go, anything can happen, so we have to focus hard and see where we are tomorrow."

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