That's how Red Bull's Vettel described his close fight with teammate Webber for Korea pole position

Korean GP pole 'special' for Vettel

That's how Red Bull's Vettel described his close fight with teammate Webber for Korea pole position

Sebastian Vettel has described his ninth pole of the Formula One season as "special" after topping qualifying at the Korean Grand Prix on Saturday.

The 23-year-old German overcame a series of troubles in the three practice sessions at the Yeongam circuit to deliver when it counted, his last-gasp lap of 1 minute 35.585 seconds edging teammate Mark Webber by seven one-hundredths of a second for the 14th pole of his career.

Vettel's performance was Red Bull's 14th pole in 17 races this season, and only compatriot Michael Schumacher (11 poles in 2001) has matched Vettel's Saturday superiority in the past decade. "The car was quick today, no doubt, but you still need to get the job done," Vettel said.

"It's a special feeling to be on poleu00a0-- it was very close. The track is good here. In the first sector, there's not so much you can dou00a0-- just hit your braking points at the right time.

"The second and third sectors are quite entertaining with nice flowing corners, but it's easy to make a mistake. It was a small margin for pole, but it was enough."

Vettel finished fourth, seventh and 16th in the three practice sessions ahead of qualifying, and lost valuable track time at the new circuit when he suffered a puncture on Friday.

The German was second to Briton Lewis Hamilton of McLaren in the first part of Saturday qualifying, trailed Webber by 0.085secs in the second 15-minute session, and then beat the benchmark time set by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso on his 19th and final lap. Vettel's pole comes after he won the Japanese Grand Prix two weeks ago. Webber leads him by 14 points in the championship with three races remaining.

Schumacher blocks Barrichello again

Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello said he was "sad" after being blocked by former Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher in qualifying for the Korean Grand Prix.

The Williams driver was at full speed trying to make it through to the final period of qualifying when he felt he was baulked by the Mercedes of the seven-time world champion.u00a0