Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scor

O&N HOME | NFL MLB NBA NHL NCAAF NCAABk Nascar Golf Soccer Tennis Boxing Horse Racing All Sports

Vettel nips Alonso for German GP pole

Sat 24th, July 2010

Hockenheim, Germany (Sports Network) - Sebastian Vettel from Red Bull Racing edged Ferrari's Fernando Alonso by the slimmest of margins to win the pole for the German Grand Prix in front of his home crowd on Saturday.

Vettel topped Alonso by only 0.002 seconds, giving the young German his third consecutive pole and the sixth in 11 grand prix this season. Alonso was quickest in the first two qualifying sessions, and led the way before Vettel completed his last lap around the 2.842-mile, 13-turn Hockenheim course in one minute, 13.791 seconds.

"It was very close," Vettel said. "Throughout the session, Fernando was very strong, and in general, Ferrari is very competitive here. We knew it would be a difficult session, but obviously two-thousandths of a second is not really the margin you are looking for."

Alonso will start on the front row for the first time this season. The Spaniard won the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in March.

"We are happy to be on the first row for the first time this season," Alonso said. "That's definitely a step forward for us. We've been competitive all weekend, and we're very comfortable and happy with the car."

Ferrari has been without a pole in 28 races, dating back to the 2008 season- ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

Alonso's teammate, Felipe Massa, will start third in Sunday's German GP.

"I think it was a good performance from us," Massa said. "I'm happy to be back in the top three, and I'm even more focused on the race tomorrow, so hopefully we can do a good job and score as many points as possible for the team."

Mark Webber from Red Bull qualified fourth. Webber won two weeks ago in the British Grand Prix.

McLaren teammates Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will lineup alongside each other on the third row. Hamilton, who won the last race at Hockenheim in 2008, currently holds a 12-point lead over Button, the defending world champion.

Robert Kubica from Renault took the seventh spot, and Williams' Rubens Barrichello claimed the eighth position. Nico Rosberg from Mercedes GP and Barrichello's teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, completed the top-10.

In the closing seconds of Q2, Rosberg and Hulkenberg prevented their German compatriot Michael Schumacher from advancing into the final qualifying session. Schumacher, the seven-time Formula One champion and teammate of Rosberg's, will start 11th.