Controversy reigns at Spa

Sebastian Vettel
12 April 2012

Sebastian Vettel made it nine poles from 12 grands prix this season at the end of a dramatic and controversial qualifying session ahead of Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix.

In a patched-up McLaren sporting a new front wing and with parts bandaged with gaffer tape following a collision with Williams' Pastor Maldonado at the end of the middle session, Lewis Hamilton appeared to have grabbed his first pole since Canada last year.

But within seconds such pleasure was denied the Briton as reigning champion Vettel made it 24 poles in his career, beating his 26-year-old rival by almost half a second.

As for Michael Schumacher, on the 20th anniversary weekend of his Formula One debut at Spa, his qualifying session lasted just 90 seconds.

The seven-times champion hit a wet patch in his Mercedes which sent him skewering into a wall where he then lost a wheel, his car then sliding all the way down the hill into the gravel trap at Rivage.

Calmly over the radio the 42-year-old said: "I don't know what happened there, something unexpected. I'm out."

On a drying track, after the first two sessions were run mainly in the wet, Red Bull's Mark Webber, who has signed a new contract extension for next season, was third - the Australian not quite adding icing on the cake of his 35th birthday celebrations.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa starts fourth ahead of Nico Rosberg in his Mercedes, with Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari sixth and Bruno Senna on his qualifying debut for Renault a superb seventh.

Fernando Alonso in his Ferrari could only claim eighth, with Sergio Perez in his Sauber ninth and the Renault of Vitaly Petrov 10th.

Meanwhile, McLaren made a woeful error in calling in Jenson Button too early believing he had done enough, and he will start a disappointing 13th.

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