SHANGHAI (AP) — Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel has claimed pole position for the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix.
Vettel earned his third straight pole to start the season, holding an impressive seven-tenths of a second margin over McLaren’s Jenson Button, who qualified ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg qualified fourth, in front of the Ferrari pair of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa.
The major shock of qualifying was the elimination of Red Bull’s Mark Webber in the first session, in 18th place. His KERS power-boost system was inoperable and the team gambled on using hard tires for his final run.