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Vettel surprised to take Pole

Sebastian Vettel claimed to be surprised with taking pole forthe Bahrain Grand Prix, after a lack of running on Friday had hampered the Red Bull driver’s campaign.

Vettel was mighty throughout the session and managed to pip both Ferrari drivers to his first pole position of the year. Despite his strong performance, the young German revealed little about his prospects for Sunday’s race, with questionmarks remain over the race pace of the Red Bull RB6.

Mark Webber was left frustrated with his qualifying run, after a mistake at turn 16 on his final run forced him to settle for sixth. However, the Australian is convinced that his fortunes will improve in the Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel (1st): “It’s a big surprise to get pole; we didn’t know where we were with performance during the winter testing. Yesterday was a tough day for us, as we didn’t do as much running as we would have liked. It was a long night for the mechanics and there were some tired faces this morning, but everyone was still so keen. I knew we had a good car, Qualifying went smoothly and I’m very happy to be on pole. Thanks to the team, they have been so busy during the last month with a lot of testing – to be on top now is a nice feeling.”

Mark Webber (6th): “I did my worst lap at the most important time today. It was going well until Turn 16, but it wasn’t so good from there on. Seb did a good job for pole position; there was more in the car than sixth today. It’s disappointing, but all is not lost and it’s a long race tomorrow.”

Christian Horner: “A brilliant job today. It’s great to be starting the new season in pole position. Sebastian drove faultlessly through all three sessions and delivered three laps that were good enough for pole; it’s testimony to all the hard work that’s gone in over the winter. The guys have worked wonders within Red Bull Racing and first on the grid is a great place to be starting the new race format tomorrow. Mark was looking good in the first and second qualifying sessions, but unfortunately he dropped a bit of time in the mid-sector of his last lap, which was the difference between the front row and sixth. I’m sure he’ll be strong tomorrow.”

Fabrice Lom: “It’s such a great result for the beginning of the season. We were in a bit of a fog over the winter as we didn’t know where we were regarding performance. This is such a good answer to all the questions. We are quick and this is good. It’s a shame for Mark he was very quick until the last lap in qualifying, but first and sixth is a good start. I think we’re set for a good season.”

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