Vettel becomes youngest driver to take F1 pole

MONZA, Italy — Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso will become the youngest Formula One driver to start from the pole position after setting the fastest time Saturday in a rain-affected qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix.

The 21-year-old German driver took advantage of the rain-drenched Monza circuit to earn the first pole for him and the team. McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen took second and Red Bull’s Mark Webber came third.

“What can I say, I never dreamed of being on pole. It’s unbelievable,” Vettel said.

Overall F1 leader Lewis Hamilton of McLaren will start Sunday’s race from 15th place and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen from 14th after both drivers failed to advance from the second session due to the rain.

“I don’t want to even imagine if you are on (position) 15,” said Vettel of the precarious conditions. “There will be a big group and it could be a mess. That might not make it safe.”

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, who trails Hamilton by two points, will start sixth. The Brazilian driver is in position to take over the championship lead after his steady drive in treacherous conditions.

“It’s true it could have been better, but it could also have been much worse,” Massa said. “I am ahead of my rivals in the fight for the championship.”

Vettel jumped out of his car pumping his fists to receive congratulations from fellow drivers. He then ran out into pit lane to celebrate with his team, who cheered as the final qualifying session timed out.

“I was joking with my engineers, saying if it’s wet we have to go for pole position,” said Vettel, who will replace the retiring David Coulthard at Red Bull next year. “We didn’t know what to expect, how wet it was, how much rain there would be. It was so difficult today, especially with the traffic … it was nearly impossible to see anything.”

Toro Rosso has never finished on the podium in an F1 race, and Vettel is cautious about his team’s prospects.

“We don’t know how the weather is going to be. If it’s wet, how wet will it be?” Vettel said. “(But) going on the podium would be unreal. But we have to keep our feet on the ground, it will be a very, very tough race.”

Vettel’s lap time of 1 minute, 37.555 seconds over the 5.793-kilometer (3.6-mile) circuit was nearly 16 seconds off the pace set by eventual winner Fernando Alonso last year.

Vettel’s teammate, Sebastien Bourdais, will start fourth ahead of Nico Rosberg of Williams.

The rain threw out the usual pecking order as drivers not only had to deal with slippery conditions on the fastest circuit, but also poor visibility with spray shooting up behind the cars.

Webber is concerned about the visibility in Sunday’s 53-lap race with more showers expected.

“I don’t think any of those guys want to race in those conditions,” Webber said. “There is some safety concerns at this place because of the speed … you can’t see where the car (in front) is.”

Both Raikkonen and Hamilton swerved wildly off track — Hamilton spinning — at corner No. 10 as they pushed to make the cut for the final session with the rain intensifying during the second session.

Hamilton took off the extreme wet tires in the second session but then put them back as he recorded his worst qualifying result in 31 F1 races.

“We thought it was the right way to go at the time because it was getting dryer, but the grip-level was poor so I came in and switched to extreme (wet tires),” Hamilton said. “By the time I got out, it had begun to rain and I just missed the window when the track was the fastest.”

Kovalainen missed earning a second career pole position by just 0.076 seconds.

“The beginning of each session was very crucial, especially in the last two sessions. The water level was increasing and the lap times were going slower,” the Finn said. “We have a strong position in any kind of conditions. I enjoy driving in the wet — it’s a big challenge.”

Raikkonen, the defending F1 champion who signed a one-year contract extension Friday that will keep him at Ferrari through 2010, trails Hamilton by 19 points.

“We must try to make the best of this situation, which is definitely not ideal,” Raikkonen said.

BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica, who is 18 points behind Hamilton in third place overall, also failed to emerge from the second session and will start from 11th.

After Saturday qualifying; race Sunday

At Monza, Italy

3.6-mile Autodromo Nazionale di Monza circuit

1. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Toro Rosso, 1 minute, 37.555 seconds.

2. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, McLaren, 1:37.631.

3. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull, 1:38.117.

4. Sebastian Bourdais, France, Toro Rosso, 1:38.445.

5. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams, 1:38.767.

6. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari, 1:38.894.

7. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota, 1:39.152.

8. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault, 1:39.751.

9. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota, 1:39.787.