Sebastian Vettel Claims Pole Position

World champion Sebastian Vettel claimed his fifth pole position in six races in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday.

The Red Bull driver lapped the 3.340km Monte-Carlo street circuit in a time of one minute 13.556 seconds to go 0.441secs quicker than McLaren's Jenson Button.

Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber lines up third ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, with Mercedes GP's Michael Schumacher fifth.

Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa starts sixth ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg.

Williams driver Pastor Maldonado will start ninth, however the final driver to make it through to the top-10 shoot-out, Sauber's Sergio Perez, is a doubt for Sunday's race after suffering a heavy crash in the final session.

Michael Schumacher Wants Answers

Michael Schumacher has blamed Mercedes GP for a disappointing performance in his come back season. The German returned to the track after three years out of the sport.  Schumacher won seven World Titles before retiring in 2006, but failed to live up to expectations this season.

The 41 year old was surprised that team-mate Nico Rosberg, who ended the season in seventh place, had not suffered the same trouble with his car. Schumacher has since exchanged words behind closed doors with team owner, Ross Brawn and motorsport Chief Norbert Haug.

"I had no problems with Nico," he said in an interview with a German motorsport magazine.

"But I told Norbert and Ross that it was time to find explanations."

"The fastest driver is a reference for the other one," Schumacher went on to explain. "You see the data of how he drives, but it didn't work quite so well in the other car. Looking back, there were a few things (wrong) with my car.

"The exhaust got so hot that sometimes the underside of the car burnt or the F-Duct (a system to help the airflow) was triggered in parts of the track where it shouldn't have been.

"But I have not spoken publicly about them; I preferred to discuss it internally."