Melbourne: Sebastian Vettel has clinched pole position for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix after edging out Red Bull team mate Mark Webber around Albert Park. Fernando Alonso will start third for Ferrari, alongside the McLaren of Jenson Button, whose team mate Lewis Hamilton was only 11th.
Felipe Massa qualified fifth for Ferrari, ahead of the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.
Earlier, Webber buoyed home fans by recording the quickest lap in final practice, bidding to become Australia's first home winner. He topped the timesheets with 16 minutes left in the hour-long session, then improved his mark twice to lap the Albert Park street circuit in one minute 24.719 under an overcast sky.
With drivers switching to softer tyres for the last 10 minutes, Ferrari's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso and Mercedes' Michael Schumacher pushed hard and both improved their times but were unable to reel in the Australian.
Alonso finished just over two tenths of a second slower than Webber, while seven times world champion Schumacher posted the third fastest lap to pip fellow German and team mate Nico Rosberg, who finished fifth fastest.
Webber's German team mate Sebastian Vettel was fourth fastest, two places better than world champion Jenson Button, whose McLaren team mate and compatriot Lewis Hamilton had the seventh quickest lap.
Hispania's (HRT) Brazilian driver Bruno Senna, nephew of the late triple champion Ayrton, pulled out after eight laps after his car ground to a halt.
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