Sebastian Vettel knows that winning a Grand Prix is more than pole position in qualifying and is keeping focused despite an electric flying lap in Australia.
Vettel clocked a non-KERS assisted time of 1:23.529 nearly a second faster than everyone else, including teammate Mark Webber, who was left 'mystified' by the result.
Defending champion Vettel is aware that he hasn't won anything yet and after failing to convert so many pole positions last season will be on his guard for the race.
He said: “It's promising for Sunday, so we'll see how we get on. We have made the first step and starting the season this way with a pole position is a good sign for the team. We've been working very hard to get the RB7 to where it is now – it's thanks to all those in the factory and those here, down under, for preparing the car. If you look at the points we still have zero like everyone else, so we need to see what happens tomorrow.”
Local hero Webber qualified in third behind Vettel and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and admitted he had struggled to find the speed when he needed it.
He added: “I was disappointed with my performance today. Sebastian put in a very good lap. I'm a little bit mystified by the gap to be honest, I tried my best. I'll have to go through it and have a look at where I can improve and go from there. It's frustrating, but credit to the team; the guys have done an incredible job. Obviously it wasn't the best day for me, but the bar is high. I would like to have done better, but reflecting on the performance of the team and what they've done over the winter – it's incredible.”
Team boss Christian Horner was slightly disappointed Hamilton ruined a Red Bull front row but praised the team effort for such a great start to the new season.
He concluded: “It was a great team performance. First and third for the first grand prix of 2011 is a very good start. Sebastian produced two stunning laps. Mark just lost out on the last run by less than a tenth to Lewis, but first and third on the clean side of the grid is a good place to be starting tomorrow's grand prix. It should be a fascinating race tomorrow, especially with the new regulations.”
