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Summary Sebastian Vettel tied Nigel Mansell's season record of 14 poles at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel took pole position at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Saturday on the final lap of qualifying, matching Nigel Mansells record of 14 poles in a season and putting him in prime position to equal the record for most wins.The Red Bull driver clocked 1 minute, 38.481 seconds at the Yas Marina circuit, 0.14 seconds quicker than McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton who had dominated the final practice session and was leading qualifying until the last lap.Hamiltons teammate Jenson Button will start Sundays race third alongside Vettels teammate Mark Webber on the second row.Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa continued to struggle, and will start on the third row in fifth and sixth.After Vettel finished his last lap, the team yelled over the radio Brilliant, Mr. Mansell to which the 24-year-old German responded Ich liebe dich or I Love You.I was very happy to get pole because it was difficult. We werent sure about it and positively surprised when we crossed the line, Vettel said, adding that Mansells record wasnt something the team had discussed. He obviously took two races less to achieve the same but still its something special. Yeah, its a great feeling for sure.Hamilton, who had driven flawlessly Friday and avoided the penalties that has cost him in early races, appeared poised to take pole and was leading going into the third session of qualifying. But the 2008 world champion said he felt the car was understeering toward the end of qualifying session and made it difficult to challenge Vettel.
