SUZUKA, Japan – Red Bull driver Mark Webber claimed pole position on Saturday for the Japanese Grand Prix, qualifying ahead of his teammate and runaway championship leader Sebastian Vettel for the first time this season.
Webber clocked a time of 1 minute, 30.975 seconds at the Suzuka circuit, with Vettel just under two-tenths of a second behind in second place after struggling with his KERS power-boost system.
McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton was third fastest, followed by Lotus' Romain Grosjean and Ferrari's Felipe Massa.
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, who must finish no worse than eighth to prevent Vettel from securing the championships if the German wins Sunday, qualified in eighth.
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