Vettel takes pole, Schumacher seventh

Sakhir : Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull will start Formula One's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position, while Michael Schumacher's comeback with Mercedes will start from a disappointing seventh place.

Vettel set a fastest time of 1 minute, 54.101 seconds yesterday to edge Ferrari pair Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, who have both triumphed at the desert track previously.

In pictures: A look at some of the F1 drivers

Lewis Hamilton of McLaren will start fourth ahead of Nico Rosberg of Mercedes and Red Bull driver Mark Webber.

Seven-time champion Schumacher, racing for the first time in three years, was 1.423 seconds off of Vettel's pace to start ahead of defending champion Jenson Button, who was eighth for McLaren.

Predictions correct

Red Bull had tested less than its competitors but predictions over the Austrian car's speed was confirmed as Vettel edged Massa — racing for the first time since a near-fatal crash in July — by just over one-tenth of a second and Alonso by half a second.

"It was a big surprise," said Vettel, who is going for win No 6 from his sixth career pole. "Yesterday I have to admit we were not very happy. I knew there was potential in the car, we just had to put it together. It was really close."

Ferrari was buoyed by the results as it looks to make a strong start after taking only one point from the past two opening races at Melbourne. "If you look at what happened last season with us, it's a good start to the season," said Massa before turning his attention to his comeback. "I'm here 100 per cent and ready to fight. After watching on TV, it's much nicer to be back in the car."

Alonso was happy to be back in the top three. "It's such a long lap and the conditions — it's such a warm condition — it's very difficult to complete that lap without any mistakes or problems," the Spanish driver said.

Pole position

1. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) RedBull-Renault 1:54.101

2. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 1:54.242

3. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 1:54.608

4. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 1:55.217

5. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 1:55.241

6. Mark Webber (Australia) RedBull-Renault 1:55.284

7. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes 1:55.524

8. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 1:55.672

9. Robert Kubica (Poland) Renault 1:55.885

10. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Force India-Mercedes 1:56.309.