F1: Vettel Wins Pole In Crash Filled Qualifying

Formula 1

F1: Vettel Wins Pole In Crash Filled Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel survived a crash filled qualifying session to win the pole for the Japanese Grand Prix Saturday...

SPEED Staff | Posted October 03, 2009 Suzuka (JPN)

Sebastian Vettel will start the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position after a dramatic qualifying session at Suzuka, which featured three red flags due to accidents. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Sebastian Vettel survived a crash filled qualifying session to win the pole for the Japanese Grand Prix Saturday.

Jarno Trulli was second, with Lewis Hamilton, Adrian Sutil and Rubens Barrichello rounding out the top five.

Nick Heidfeld, Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen, Heikki Kovalainen and Sebastian Buemi competed the top 10.

Kovalainen and Buemi both finished the final Q3 session in the garage after crashes. Kovalainen got off track late in Q3 bringing out the third red flag of the day. Buemi crashed on the final lap of Q2 throwing debris across the track after scraping down the arm-co barrier exiting the Spoon curve and then limped his badly damaged car all the way back to the pits.

This slowed down Fernando Alonso who was trying to put down a fast flying lap after the checkered flag had dropped. Alonso complained to stewards after the session and there was word they would investigate and perhaps adjust the lineup later.

"I backed off. Other people didn't," said Fernando Alonso, who did not make it through to Q3. "We'll see what happens."

The Kovalainen and Buemi crashes were minor however compared to other accidents earlier in qualifying.

The Q2 session saw two red flags, both after very hard single car crashes involving first Jaime Alguersuari and the second Timo Glock.

Alguersuari became a victim of the Degner curve as he hit straight into the tire wall just before halfway in the session. Shortly after Glock careened sideways into the tire barrier coming out of the final corner.

Both drivers were taken to a local hospital, Alguersuari as checked out ok while Glock was airlifted to a hospital with what is described as an "abrasion to the left upper leg", but is not otherwise seriously hurt.

Mark Webber watched the entire qualifying session from the garage after he crashed in the final practice also into the Degner curve. The team had to replace the chassis on the car and Webber was forced to sit out the session and will start from the pit lane on Sunday.

While Webber watched, his teammate Vettel celebrated his fourth pole position of the year.

QUALIFYING

Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps

1 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 1:30.883 1:30.341 1:32.160 14
2 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:31.063 1:30.737 1:32.220 20
3 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:30.917 1:30.627 1:32.395 21
4 Adrian Sutil Force India-Merc. 1:31.386 1:31.222 1:32.466 20
5 Rubens Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 1:31.272 1:31.055 1:32.660 18
6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber 1:31.501 1:31.260 1:32.945 19
7 Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes 1:31.041 1:30.880 1:32.962 18
8 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:31.228 1:31.052 1:32.980 23
9 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 1:31.499 1:31.223 no time 21
10 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 1:31.196 1:31.103 no time 12
____________________________
11 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 1:31.286 1:31.482 17
12 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:31.401 1:31.638 14
13 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber 1:31.417 1:32.341 15
14 Timo Glock Toyota 1:31.550 no time 13
15 Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari 1:31.571 no time 14
____________________________
16 Giancarlo Fisichella Ferrari 1:31.704 11
17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota 1:31.718 8
18 Romain Grosjean Renault 1:32.073 8
19 Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Merc. 1:32.087 9
20 Mark Webber RBR-Renault no time 0

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