Skip advert
Advertisement

Webber on pole in Korea

Mark Webber qualifies on pole for the Korean GP, ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton

Mark Webber has claimed a surprise pole position for the Korean Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel had looked certain for pole thanks to a dominant performance in final practice, while Webber spent most of the session in his garage with an engine software problem.

But when it mattered, the Australian driver pulled off a stunning final flyer, which allowed him to snatch pole from his teammate by just 0.074 seconds, for the second Red Bull front row lock-out in as many weeks.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Webber said: "Most qualifying sessions have been very tight and I'm very happy to get the job done today. It was a reasonable lap and we did it when it counted. Tomorrow is the main day and I'm in a good position to get a good result."

Lewis Hamilton was third fastest, ahead of championship leader Fernando Alonso and Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen in fourth and fifth respectively.

Felipe Massa will start from sixth place, ahead of Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg. Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher complete the top 10.

Jenson Button will start from 11th on the grid. The McLaren driver failed to make it into the final qualifying session after making a mistake on his first run of Q2. He locked his front wheel and failed to improve on his time when the yellow flags were brought out for Daniel Ricciardo.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

The Toro Rosso driver was forced to stop on track with a gearbox problem, and will start 16th just ahead of his teammate Jean-Eric Vergne.

Marussia's Charles Pic managed to out-qualify his more experienced teammate, Timo Glock, but will start the race last following a 10-place penalty for an engine change.

Narain Karthikeyan failed to set a time after a dramatic spin at the very start of qualifying. He was able to get back to the pits but a broken brake disc put an end to his session.

This means that Karthikeyan is the only driver not to meet the 107 per cent requirements, and will only race at the stewards' discretion.

2012 Korean Grand Prix grid

PositionDriverTeamTime
1Mark WebberRed Bull Racing-Renault1'37.242
2Sebastian VettelRed Bull Racing-Renault1'37.316
3Lewis HamiltonMcLaren-Mercedes1'37.469
4Fernando AlonsoFerrari1'37.534
5Kimi RaikkonenLotus-Renault1'37.625
6Felipe MassaFerrari1'37.884
7Romain GrosjeanLotus-Renault1'37.934
8Nico HulkenbergForce India-Mercedes1'38.266
9Nico RosbergMercedes1'38.361
10Michael SchumacherMercedes1'38.513
11Jenson ButtonMcLaren-Mercedes1'38.441
12Sergio PerezSauber-Ferrari1'38.460
13Kamui KobayashiSauber-Ferrari1'38.594
14Paul di RestaForce India-Mercedes1'38.643
15Pastor MaldonadoWilliams-Renault1'38.725
16Daniel RicciardoSTR-Ferrari1'39.084
17Jean-Eric VergneSTR-Ferrari1'39.340
18Bruno SennaWilliams-Renault1'39.443
19Vitaly PetrovCaterham-Renault1'40.207
20Heikki KovalainenCaterham-Renault1'40.333
21Timo GlockMarussia-Cosworth1'41.371
22Pedro de la RosaHRT-Cosworth1'42.881
23Narain KarthikeyanHRT-Cosworth*No time
24Charles PicMarussia-Cosworth**1'41.317

107 per cent time: 1'45.082

* Didn't set a time** 10-place grid penalty for an engine change

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

F1 preview 2025: 25 things you must know about the 75th anniversary season
Multiple F1 cars cornering

F1 preview 2025: 25 things you must know about the 75th anniversary season

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Formula One; we list the top things you need to know ahead of the season
Features
14 Mar 2025
Special edition McLaren MCL38 Artura and 750S celebrate F1 team’s 9th Constructors' win
McLaren MCL38 cars

Special edition McLaren MCL38 Artura and 750S celebrate F1 team’s 9th Constructors' win

McLaren has revealed two striking special edition supercars on the eve of its 2025 F1 racer’s debut
News
18 Feb 2025
Hot Wheels has shrunk F1! But only for eight of the teams
Selection of Hot Wheels F1 cars

Hot Wheels has shrunk F1! But only for eight of the teams

Your favourite F1 racers will be offered by the US firm in 1:64-scale die cast guise
News
24 Jan 2025
We all hate repeats on TV but a re-run of the 2024 F1 season in 2025 would be fantastic, for us and Netflix
Opinion - Formula One re-runs

We all hate repeats on TV but a re-run of the 2024 F1 season in 2025 would be fantastic, for us and Netflix

Tom Jervis thinks we'd all benefit from a trip down F1 memory lane
Opinion
3 Jan 2025

Most Popular

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k
Kia PV5 Passenger - show front

New Kia PV5 Passenger MPV undercuts the VW ID.Buzz by a huge £25k

New entry into the electric people carrier market undercuts the VW ID. Buzz by a significant margin
News
29 Apr 2025
New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645
Kia PV5 Cargo on display at Commercial Vehicle Show - front 3/4

New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645

All-new entry into the van market promises competitive pricing and comes with a range of up to 247 miles
News
30 Apr 2025
New Volkswagen ID.3 Match 2025 review: attractive price boosts EV’s appeal
Volkswagen ID.3 Pure Match - front

New Volkswagen ID.3 Match 2025 review: attractive price boosts EV’s appeal

The value-focused Volkswagen ID.3 Match performs well and is easy to live with
Road tests
28 Apr 2025