MANAMA: Italian Jarno Trulli seized pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix yesterday with Toyota team mate Timo Glock qualifying in second place for the team’s first front row sweep.
Red Bull’s young German Sebastian Vettel, winner in the wet in China last weekend, will start today’s race in third place with championship leader Jenson Button alongside in his Mercedes-powered Brawn GP.
The pole was the fourth of Trulli’s Formula One career and first since Indianapolis in 2005, a race he did not start and that turned into a six-car fiasco after problems with the Michelin tires.
Toyota have yet to win a race in 126 attempts since their debut in 2002 but Sunday could be their best chance yet of ending that run, although both cars will start with less fuel on board than Vettel.
The driver starting on pole position has won the last five grands prix.
“I just hope for a trouble free race and I’m sure we can do a good job and get a good result,” said Trulli, who suffered brake problems in qualifying and whose only win in Formula One was with Renault in Monaco in 2004.
“If I look back at everything that’s happened during the past races, it’s always been a bit difficult for me so I just hope everything goes alright.”
McLaren’s world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose team risk heavy sanctions at a hearing in Paris next week for lying to race stewards at the Australian season-opener, qualified a strong fifth.
The Briton will also have the advantage of the new KERS energy recovery system that gives an extra boost of power at the push of a button. None of the cars ahead of him are equipped with it.
Button, who won the first two races and was third in China, was concerned that his compatriot could pass him at the start by using his KERS and then slow him up while the others pulled away at the front.
“I think Sebastian probably is the one who is going to be most competitive,” said Button, who was carrying exactly the same amount of fuel as the champion.
“My biggest issue is probably having Lewis alongside me because he’s obviously got KERS off the start and I don’t think his pace in the race will be as good as the other cars in front of me.”
Champions Ferrari, still without a point and in danger of slumping to their worst ever start to a season, had Brazilian Felipe Massa eighth and Kimi Raikkonen 10th but both were fueled heavier than their rivals.
“Tomorrow it will be vital to ensure that, first and foremost, we make it to the chequered flag,” said team boss Stefano Domenicali. “Our aim is simple: to wipe the zero off our score card.”
The biggest disappointment of the afternoon was suffered by Red Bull’s Mark Webber, with the Australian unable to get through the first session after being blocked by Force India’s Adrian Sutil.
“You don’t usually get caught out in traffic and that was the worst corner to get blocked. Absolute disaster...my race is screwed,” said Webber.
Sutil, who apologized afterwards, was demoted three places to the back row and will start a place behind Webber.
