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28 March 2024

Overjoyed Vettel on pole for German Grand Prix

Red Bull's German driver Sebastian Vettel celebrates in the parc ferme of the Hockenheimring circuit on Saturdayn Hockenheim, after the qualifying session of the Formula One German Grand Prix. Vettel took the pole position ahead of Ferrari's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso and Ferrari's Brazilian driver Felipe Massa. (AFP)

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By AFP

German Sebastian Vettel was overjoyed on 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.

Alonso will start second on the grid ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Brazilian Felipe Massa.

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 but are concerned that despite their upgraded cars, they are not as fast as the Red Bulls.

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."

Pole Robert Kubica of Renault will start seventh ahead of Williams driver Brazilian Rubens Barichello and Germans Nico Rosberg of Mercedes and Nico Hulkenberg in the second Williams who completed the top ten.

After an overcast, cold and wet Friday, the track was clear and the sun was out at the Hockenheimring on Saturday.

Alonso relished the improved conditions from the get-go and was on top in Q1 while the three new teams were all eliminated along with Force India driver Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Liuzzi crashed after running wide at the last corner just five minutes into the session, and Virgin driver Timo Glock narrowly escaped a stray wheel as he went past the Force India car.

Liuzzi claimed his accident was the result of a wet patch on the astro-turf. He said: "I came out of the last corner quite fast, and I think I hit a puddle in the artificial grass that was quite invisible." Despite his accident, Liuzzi will start Sunday's race in 22nd place.

The biggest disappointment of the day was seeing crowd favourite and seven times champion German Michael Schumacher of Mercedes fail to make the top ten shoot out after fellow German Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg knocked him out of the top ten in the final seconds of Q2.

The 42-year-old was eliminated ahead of 12th fastest Japanese Kamui Kobayashi of Sauber and Russian Vitaly Petrov of Renault.

Sauber driver Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa, Toro Rosso drivers Spaniard Jaime Alguesuari and Swiss Sebastien Buemi and Lotus drivers Italian Jarno Trulli and Finn Heikki Kovalainen were all boosted up a place after Force India driver Adrian Sutil was given a five-place grid penalty, he will start in 19th position.