Webber edges Vettel for Silverstone pole

Mark Webber is well-placed to repeat his 2010 triumph at Silverstone.Mark Webber takes pole position for Sunday's British Grand Prix at SilverstoneHe edges out Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel for his second pole of seasonFernando Alonso and Felipe Massa share second row for FerrariLewis Hamilton can only manage 10th best in his McLaren

(CNN) -- Mark Webber edged out Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel to claim pole position Saturday for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Webber, who won last year's race, clocked the fastest lap of one minute 30.399 seconds with championship leader Vettel three hundredths of a second slower.

It was the Australian's second pole of a season dominated by his team with Vettel winning six of the eight races to take a runaway lead in the title race.

"This track has been kind to me in the past and I just hope it does the same for the next 24 hours," Webber said in the post-qualifying media conference.

This track has been kind to me in the past and I just hope it does the same for the next 24 hours
--Mark Webber

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso of Spain was third fastest for Ferrari and will be joined on the second row by his teammate Brazilian Felipe Massa.

But there was disappointment for McLaren and their British drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

Blog: Hamilton must stay aggressive

Button, who brilliantly won the Canadian Grand Prix, was fifth best with 2008 champion Hamilton only 10th fastest.

Another home driver, Scot Paul Di Resta, took a superb sixth place on the grid for the Force India team ahead of the Williams of Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado.

Japan's Kamui Kobayashi was eighth for Sauber and German Nico Rosberg ninth for Mercedes as his teammate Michael Schumacher could only take 13th best and missed out on the final round of qualifying.

The first two sessions of qualifying were affected by the indifferent weather conditions on the track, with parts made treacherous by rain and others dry.

Alonso slid off after losing control at Brooklands but it did not affect his later performance as the track dried out.

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Hamilton: Vettel is strong F1 title favorite

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton is now 89 points behind Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel in the drivers' standings.Lewis Hamilton rues his poor start to Sunday's European Grand PrixThe British driver also admits it's going to be tough to catch Sebastian VettelHamilton is currently fourth in the drivers' standings, 89 points behind VettelThe German says he enjoyed a 'faultless' weekend in Valencia

Lewis Hamilton has rued the poor start he made to Sunday's European Grand Prix and conceded Sebastian Vettel is now the overwhelming favorite to claim the Formula One world title.

The McLaren driver, 26, began the Valencia race third on the grid, but the 2008 world champion was overtaken by the Ferrari duo of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa off the line and could only manage a fourth place finish.

It was Vettel's sixth win from eight races so far this season and the reigning title holder is now 77 points ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button and his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber, who are currently tied for second.

Hamilton is 12 points further back in fourth position and he admitted the British team lacked the performance necessary to compete.

"Twelve points is a decent haul after the last two races," Hamilton, who crashed out of the Canadian Grand Prix, said in an official McLaren press release.

We can't beat the Red Bulls right now, we just can't
--Lewis Hamilton

"So I can't really complain. However, in terms of performance, we weren't as quick today as we've been in the last three races."

Turning his attention to the Red Bull team, Hamilton admitted it is going to be difficult to reel in the 2010 constructors' champions.

"We can't beat the Red Bulls right now. We just can't. They would need to fall off the track for me to beat them.

"There was over a second per lap difference today. That is just ridiculous," he was reported as saying by British newspaper The Guardian.

"We're not giving up. I'm just being realistic. The fact is there are almost 100 points between me and Sebastian. And they finished 50 seconds or something ahead of us today."

Vettel, 23, is the first driver to finish in the top two of the opening eight rounds of the season and the German said his victory on the street circuit was particularly satisfying.

"From the outside, I'm not sure if it seemed that much was happening in the race," Vettel told the sport's official web site. "But I enjoy it so much when it's between you and the car on every single lap.

"I enjoy this track a lot, last year I had a very smooth weekend here and again this year too. It's fantastic, the team has done a phenomenal job preparing the car.

"Even though we come here every year and think it may be tricky for us, as there are no real fast corners, we managed to come here and have a faultless weekend. I'm obviously very happy with the result."

The British Grand Prix is the next stop on Formula One's world tour, with the Silverstone race set to take place on July 10.

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Vettel takes the quiet road to glory

Vettel's Formula One dominanceF1 champion Sebastian Vettel talks exclusively to CNN
Red Bull star dismisses claims this season has been "boring"
German says that you need a winning car and driver to be world champion
Ahead of the British GP, he already leads drivers' standings by 77 points

(CNN) -- There is a question that hangs over every sport, debasing the achievements of those who compete at the very highest level.

Be it golf, tennis or Formula One, the question remains the same: what is the true nucleus of a sportsman's success? Is it talent or technology?

This season it is Sebastian Vettel's turn to silence the doubters.

Few would argue his supremacy in F1. The 24-year-old world champion has won six races, from seven poles, and already commands a 77-point lead in the drivers' standings as we approach the halfway point of the season.

Equally, few would argue with Red Bull's technical supremacy, such has been the speed and new-found reliability that has been the cornerstone of Vettel's remarkable first half of the season. Is it the man or the machine that has secured his advantage? Vettel is unequivocal.

There are a lot of people around, a lot of girls around and a lot of parties
--Sebastian Vettel

"It always needs both," the German told CNN in an interview ahead of Sunday's British Grand Prix.

"Surely in Formula One you depend on your car. In a bad car you do not always win. You know, I always thought there is an opportunity to do great even when I was racing in cars that were not that competitive and able to win. My target going into the race was always winning.

"I think it still needs the drivers to push the team to make sure you keep that level, you know you keep developing yourself and the team, and together you can achieve that next step."

This Sunday's grand prix could be a crucial moment in the season. Another win for Vettel would make the second half the season in danger of becoming a formality. And although Formula One is a sport that venerates the legends that have ruled it -- be they Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher -- that happens only after they hang up their steering wheels. As they collect their laurels, the familiar criticism that the sport has become "boring" can be heard.

"I think the races this year have been exciting," Vettel says in answer to criticism that this season has become monotonous, in part, due to his and Red Bull's dominance.

"The race is not decided after the first corner or the first lap. There's a lot that can happen later on. So, you know there is this tension and this excitement, so I think it's different to what we have seen in Formula One maybe 10 years ago.

"Sometimes you have the best two (football) clubs in the world playing each other and they draw and nothing happens. So you know you can also say it's a boring game. And then the next one the score is 5-4, with a lot of goals."

And it could be argued he has a point. While the likes of Jacques Villeneuve and David Coulthard have bemoaned the lack of excitement, this season has had its moments.

Off the track there was the scandal surrounding the Bahrain Grand Prix, cancelled due to the worsening security situation following sectarian protests in the Gulf Kingdom. On the track there has been the excitement of Monaco, the increased aggression of Lewis Hamilton and, of course, Montreal, Vettel's only slip so far.

"I wanted to win that race and I was pushing very hard, you know the pace of Jenson," he said, referring to the rain-sodden Canadian Grand Prix that saw Jenson Button overtake Vettel on the last lap.

"I realized he was very quick and the only way was to push my maximum and, of course, if you push very hard ... when you're on the limit, you can do a mistake.

"Over the distance I think we did one mistake, the timing maybe wasn't perfect but, you know, that's life."

His focus is now on Sunday's race at Silverstone. Despite having the world at his feet, and all the temptations that being an F1 champion brings, he still shuns the glamorous life that many of his fellow drivers embrace.

"There are a lot of people around, a lot of girls around and a lot of parties," he said.

"I cannot afford to go on Saturday night for a couple of drinks because if I go to sleep late, I won't be fit the day after. You know sometimes you would love to go out and enjoy in some ways.

"But it's better to have a nice Sunday and have a better Sunday night."

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Impressive Vettel powers to another win

Sebastian Vettel is cruising towards a second successive world title after another impressive victory in Valencia.Sebastian Vettel cruises to victory in Sunday's European Grand Prix in ValenciaThe German extends his overall lead following his sixth win from eight racesAll 24 cars complete the race, only the fourth time in history there were no retirements

(CNN) -- World champion Sebastian Vettel proved a class apart once again, leading from start to finish to claim a comfortable win in Sunday's European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain.

In baking hot conditions, the German kept his cool to finish clear of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull teammate Mark Webber to seal his sixth victory from eight races so far this season.

Vettel also finished second in the two races he did not win, which means he becomes the first driver in history to finish in the top two in the first eight races of a Formula One season.

Vettel earns seventh pole position

"It looked like a boring race, but I enjoyed it so much," Vettel said in the post-race press conference.

"For every single lap it was just me and the car. The team have done a phenomenal job preparing the car. We managed to put everything together and I'm very happy with the result," he added.

Alonso was happy with his performance, saying: "Second place is the maximum we can have these days, so it's very good to be sitting between the two Red Bulls.

It looked like a boring race, but I enjoyed it so much. For every single lap it was just me and the car
--Sebastian Vettel

"With both cars in the top five it's very good result, but we have to hope we make a step forward in the next race."

Lewis Hamilton came home fourth in his McLaren, with Felipe Massa fifth for Ferrari and Hamilton's McLaren teammate Jenson Button sixth.

Nico Rosberg finished seventh for Mercedes and Jaime Alguersuari took a creditable eighth for Toro Rosso.

Germans Adrian Sutil and Nick Heidfeld came home ninth and 10th respectively for Force India and Lotus Renault.

The win extends 23-year-old Vettel's lead in the world drivers' championship to an impressive 77 points.

Vettel, who has now won 16 races in his career to put him level with Stirling Moss in F1's all-time standings, mow lies on 186 points, with Webber and Button sharing second place on 109 points.

Sunday's race also entered the records books with all 24 cars finishing the contest, only the fourth time in the history of Formula One that there have been no retirements -- but the first time with that many cars on the grid.

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