Vettel takes pole at Monaco. Button to start alongside the Red Bull driver

Sebastien Vettel

Sebastien Vettel did it yet again, this time on the tight, twisty streets of Monaco. With a blistering lap of 1 min 13.556 sec lap, the German driver cemented his place on the grid for tomorrows race. Jenson Button was the 0nly other driver to breach the 1 min 14 sec barrier setting a time of 1 min 13. 997 sec.

Fernando Alonso

Again, the new Pirelli tires played a role with all of the drivers opting for the softer compound tires to set the fastest times. Interestingly, HRT did not take part in the qualifying session with both their driver, Narain Karthikeyan and Vitantonio Liuzzi sitting out. Liuzzi suffered a crash during the final practice session which could be the reason for not taking part however, it was not clear as to why Karthikeyan too did not come out on the track. Some believe, it was to get away from being disqualified by the 107 percent rule. Now, the FIA will decide if HRT will take part in tomorrows race.

Mangled remains of Perez's Sauber after the crash

Talking of crashes, Sauber’s Sergio Perez was involved in a massive crash when he lost control of his car coming out of the iconic tunnel, crashing into the barriers side ways. The final session of qualifying was thus halted until Perez was taken to the hospital for further examination. Perez was conscious and was talking to the medical team, according to sources.

With just 2 min 26 sec remaining in the session, it was the run to the line with Hamilton at the forefront. The McLaren driver however, lost it under braking at the same spot where Perez crashed and had to bail out dropping him to seventh. Mark Webber will start from the second row in third spot alongside the best of the Ferraris of Alonso. Schumacher out-qualified team mate Rosberg this time around. Michael posted the fifth best time while Nico was down in eight.

This might change as, Hamilton had cut the corner before giving up his on his lap which could drop Lewis further back. Perez’s crash thus highlights the reason why DRS has been banned in the Monaco tunnel. We might not see Perez in action in tomorrows race but, that one blinder of a lap from Vettel is the one to cherish and would soon be the most viewed on Youtube, for sure.