Qualifying – untouchable Vettel wows with Albert Park pole

Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull crushed their opposition in Albert Park on Saturday to grab pole position for the Australian Grand Prix by a stunning eight-tenths of a second, the world champion being in a class of his own as he lapped in 1m 23.529s in Q3.

Lewis Hamilton showed that McLaren’s Friday form was far from the fluke some believed, by snatching second place on the grid from Red Bull’s Mark Webber, with a lap of 1m 24.307s compared to the local hero’s 1m 24.395s. McLaren’s Jenson Button kept Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso at bay with 1m 24.779s for fourth, the Spaniard having to settle for 1m 24.974s for Ferrari.