It couldn’t be better, says Vettel

The German will start from the front ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. It was his 10h pole position of the season and if he wins on Sunday, he would be the youngest F1 World Champion in history at 23 years, 134 days, beating Hamilton.

“It couldn’t be better. The conditions were a bit tricky because the night temperatures dropped. We were not looking good in practice and Hamilton was quite strong. In qualifying, we went out last and we did it,” Vettel said after qualifying.

“It was a phenomenal qualifying. The car is strong for the weekend and I’m very pleased with it,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hamilton, who took pole here last year and led the race for 18 laps before retiring with a brake problem, said: “The team has done a great job with the car. It is a good feeling that we have. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I’m here to enjoy myself and see what happens on Sunday.”

Championship leader Alonso said: “It was a tough qualifying session for everyone. The positions were changing right from Q1 through to Q3. We did a good job on Friday with the set-up of the car. It was a good qualifying for us. We know the situation and we have the confidence going into Sunday,” Alonso said.

“Anything can happen. We need to complete 55 laps without any mistakes,” he added.

james@khaleejtimes.com