Sebastian Vettel has qualified on pole for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Photograph: Lars Baron/Getty ImagesSebastian Vettel claimed his eighth pole of the season, for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix, and in so doing, ensured Red Bull still remain the only team to have held the spot all season. With both McLaren and Ferrari having proved in practice that their single-lap pace is now much closer to the Red Bull, Vettel had to throw down a perfect lap in the last seconds of qualifying three to pip Lewis Hamilton into second and Jenson Button into third.
Increasingly under pressure and after Vettel had called on his team to "raise their game" on Friday night, Red Bull took the unusual step of breaking the curfew limit that restricts work on the car between 2am and 8am. The curfew can be broken four times per season without penalty but this is the first time the team have done so and it seems to have worked out.
"We changed a lot on the car overnight and the boys were working pretty hard and didn't get much sleep, but I think if we have a result like this it's the best way to say thanks," the world champion said afterwards.
All the major players went through the first two qualifying sessions without mishap using the prime (soft) tyres, although in slightly higher temperatures than during practice. Immediately opting for the option (super-soft) tyres, Fernando Alonso was first out in the last session but Hamilton remained the leader after the opening laps. Expecting better times from one more shot, the leaders opted to go for a second run in the last two minutes.
Alonso was again out first, looking for a clean lap, having caught Mark Webber at the end of his first outing, but he was swiftly followed by Hamilton, who immediately took provisional pole from the Spaniard.
It did not last long. Vettel pumped in one of the best laps of the weekend to secure provisional pole, with a time of 1min 19.815sec. Button followed him but could manage only third, nonetheless his best grid position for five races, while Felipe Massa took a great fourth place, bumping Alonso into fifth and confirming Vettel's place at the front of the grid. Webber, who won here last year, had Kers problems early in the session and was disappointed with sixth. "Third row is not where I want to be – I didn't get the best out of the car and out of the tyres," he said.
Vettel, unsurprisingly, returned to parc ferme with his usual enthusiastic pole celebration: "Yes! That's what I'm talking about," he exclaimed from the cockpit and said afterwards: "I've got the confidence back. Today I felt much more comfortable in the car and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Hamilton, who had looked confident himself all weekend, might have expected he would finally break Red Bull's dominance at the front but he did finish within 0.163 of Vettel and remained optimistic: "I'm very excited about the race, because we had quite a good, long run yesterday and we'll work hard to build on that pace overnight. We're in the fight and, with a good start, we can definitely challenge for the win."
His team-mate, Button, starting his 200th grand prix on Sunday, feels that with the new tyres, DRS and Kers, the procession that so often occurs here in Hungary may still be avoided, and he too was upbeat: "It's nice to be in a position to drive for a win from the outset, and that's definitely what I'll be attempting to do," he said.
Ferrari may also have expected more here after their pace in Germany, but for Massa, who starts ahead of his team-mate for the first time this year, the race may reveal more. "Usually our rivals find something extra for qualifying and we make a step forward in the race; we will see tomorrow if this unwritten rule is confirmed at this track, I hope I have a car that is competitive," he said.
As always on this underused track, grip improved significantly between Friday and Saturday and, although there may be rain overnight, a dry race is expected. With the super-soft tyres around half a second quicker over a 10-lap run, three or four stops is to be expected, with teams evaluating how long they can run each set of option tyres before reverting to the prime (soft) rubber for the final stint. There have also been grip issues raised around the final corner, which may offer opportunities for cars entering the DRS zone on the start-finish straight.
Having lined up next to Vettel on the front row in Australia and Malaysia already this season, and seen the German go on to win both races, Hamilton will be hoping for better this time. He starts on the dirty side of the grid on Sunday. "Fingers crossed the track is clean," he said. "I hope they're cleaning it tonight to give us a good opportunity to have a fair fight down to turn one." It might yet prove crucial on a circuit where overtaking has traditionally only taken place in the pit lane.
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1min 19.815sec, 2 Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren 1:19.978, 3 Jenson Button (GB) McLaren 1:20.024, 4 Felipe Massa (Br) Ferrari 1:20.350, 5 Fernando Alonso (Sp) Ferrari 1:20.365, 6 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:20.474, 7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 1:21.098, 8 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:21.445, 9 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 1:21.907, 10 Sergio Perez (Mex) Sauber-Ferrari no time, 11 Paul di Resta (GB) Force India 1:22.256, 12 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 1:22.284, 13 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Sauber-Ferrari 1:22.435 ,14 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault 1:22.470, 15 Rubens Barrichello (Br) Williams 1:22.684, 16 Jaime Alguersuari (Sp) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:22.979, 17 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams no time, 18 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:24.070, 19 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Lotus 1:24.362, 20 Jarno Trulli (It) Lotus 1:24.534, 21 Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin Racing 1:26.294, 22 Vitantonio Liuzzi (It) HRT-F1 1:26.323, 23 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) HRT-F1 1:26.479, 24 Jerome d'Ambrosio (Bel) Virgin Racing 1:26.510.
Buemi will start the race from 23rd due to a five-place grid penalty for causing a collision at the German Grand Prix
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