Qualifying – Vettel snatches pole from Button by a whisker

Although McLaren had dominated all sessions prior to the crucial final one, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel clinched pole position by a mere nine-thousandths of a second at Suzuka on Saturday, just pipping Jenson Button.

Button’s McLaren team mate Lewis Hamilton also looked in with a shot at pole, but a mistimed lead-up to his final flyer meant he was unable to reach the chequered flag in time