Home » Sports » Motor Racing
Webber claims Belgium pole
Source: Agencies |
August 29, 2010, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FORMULA One championship leader Mark Webber gave Red Bull its 12th pole position in 13 races this season at the Belgian Grand Prix yesterday.
The Australian, favored by a late flurry of rain that prevented rivals from matching his time in final qualifying, ended a run of four successive poles for German teammate Sebastian Vettel.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton joined Webber on the front row, with Renault's Robert Kubica third and Vettel fourth. The hopes of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso were scuppered by the fickle conditions at the Spa-Francorchamps and he will start 10th.
Webber, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Friday, leads 2008 champion Hamilton by four points in the standings with seven races remaining, including today's.
It was his fifth pole of the season, sixth of his career and first since Turkey in May.
"It's a great place to get pole position but we've seen a couple of times this year that the poles haven't done too much," said Webber, whose own teammate has taken seven pole positions and won just twice.
The driver on pole at Spa has failed to win four times out of the last five races here. Only 13 times in 43 races at the circuit has the winner started from the top slot.
Hamilton, back on the front row for the first time since he took pole in Canada in June, looked forward to challenging Webber in the race. "The positive thing is we are up there and in for the fight. The car feels pretty good here so we are in a good position to get some good points."
The Briton had been fastest in the second part of the session, ahead of teammate and reigning champion Jenson Button who qualified fifth.
The first part was more like a race than qualifying, with drivers jostling for position on the road after the session was stopped when Renault's Russian Vitaly Petrov spun and clouted the barriers.
Brazilian Lucas di Grassi then spun at turn 14 and hit the Lotus of Italian Jarno Trulli, with seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher expertly carving through the melee in his Mercedes.
The German, back at his favorite track at age 41, qualified 11th but will start in 21st place due to a penalty imposed at the previous Hungarian GP for a move on former Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello.
The Australian, favored by a late flurry of rain that prevented rivals from matching his time in final qualifying, ended a run of four successive poles for German teammate Sebastian Vettel.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton joined Webber on the front row, with Renault's Robert Kubica third and Vettel fourth. The hopes of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso were scuppered by the fickle conditions at the Spa-Francorchamps and he will start 10th.
Webber, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Friday, leads 2008 champion Hamilton by four points in the standings with seven races remaining, including today's.
It was his fifth pole of the season, sixth of his career and first since Turkey in May.
"It's a great place to get pole position but we've seen a couple of times this year that the poles haven't done too much," said Webber, whose own teammate has taken seven pole positions and won just twice.
The driver on pole at Spa has failed to win four times out of the last five races here. Only 13 times in 43 races at the circuit has the winner started from the top slot.
Hamilton, back on the front row for the first time since he took pole in Canada in June, looked forward to challenging Webber in the race. "The positive thing is we are up there and in for the fight. The car feels pretty good here so we are in a good position to get some good points."
The Briton had been fastest in the second part of the session, ahead of teammate and reigning champion Jenson Button who qualified fifth.
The first part was more like a race than qualifying, with drivers jostling for position on the road after the session was stopped when Renault's Russian Vitaly Petrov spun and clouted the barriers.
Brazilian Lucas di Grassi then spun at turn 14 and hit the Lotus of Italian Jarno Trulli, with seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher expertly carving through the melee in his Mercedes.
The German, back at his favorite track at age 41, qualified 11th but will start in 21st place due to a penalty imposed at the previous Hungarian GP for a move on former Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
