Webber pips Vettel as Red Bull stay unbeaten in qualifying

BARCELONA - Mark Webber pipped team-mate Sebastian Vettel for the pole position as the Red Bull team kept its perfect qualifying record in 2010 Formula One qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Australian Webber clocked 1 minute 19.995 seconds on the 4.655-kilometres lap at the Circuit de Catalunya Saturday to grab his second pole of the season and third overall.

Germany’s Vettel, who had the other three poles this season, was just off the pace on 1:20.101 as the Red Bulls dominated even more than others had expected.

Lewis Hamilton trailed by almost one second in third place in a McLaren (1:20.829), and fellow-British team-mate Jenson Button, the reigning champion and 2010 leader, was fifth. Local hero Fernando Alonso drove his Ferrari to fourth place on the grid.

Button leads the championship with 60 points from Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg (50) after four of 19 races. Alonso and Hamilton have 49 apiece and Vettel 45.

“It was a sensational qualifying for Seb and me,” said Webber. “Seb has a very good record against me, so it was nice to get one the other way. Today was my day, but it will be a long race tomorrow.”

Vettel said: “All in all I am satisfied. We have made a step forward.”

Webber and Vettel praised their team for providing them with a perfect car as all teams made considerable upgrades for the European season debut since the last race three weeks ago in China.

“No one expected them to be that fast. It is a decent gap,” said the 2008 champion Hamilton in reference to the Red Bulls.

Record champion Michael Schumacher said that “the (Red Bull) car fits perfectly on this track.”

The seven-time champion Schumacher placed sixth on the grip on a Mercedes GP, beating his team-mate Nico Rosberg, who came eighth, for the first time in his comeback season from a three-year hiatus.

Schumacher spoke of mixed feelings on the weekend and despite finishing ahead of Rosberg has no big illusions for the race.

“We don’t really have to talk about the podium,” said Schumacher, saying the gap especially on the Red Bulls was “extremely big” at 1.3 seconds.

Webber will get additional confidence ahead of Sunday from the fact that the last nine races in Barcelona were won by the pole-sitter.

But he and Vettel warned that victory was not a foregone conclusion. Red Bull have just one season win so far, from Vettel in Malaysia.

“It looks comfortable but we know how things can change,” said Vettel, who was stopped by technical problems in leading position in the first two races in Bahrain and Australia.