Formula 1:Sebastian Vettel surprised even himself at the margin to his rivals after a scintillating qualifying performance put him on pole for the second successive season at the Australian Grand Prix. The reigning Formula One world champion smashed Melbourne's Albert Park with a lap of one minute 23.529secs, a staggering 0.778secs clear of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who joins him on the front row.
Not even team-mate Mark Webber could get anywhere near Vettel in similar machinery, as on home turf the Australian finished a distant 0.866secs off the pace, a chasm in F1 terms.
When you add in the fact Vettel did not even press the KERS button that provides an additional power boost, so potentially could have gone half a second quicker, it makes his car an awesome prospect even at this early stage.
Asked if he was surprised at the gap to the rest of the field, the 23-year-old German offered a typical smile and replied: "Yes. I've said before, it was a long winter and we've tried to find our way on these new (Pirelli) tyres which wasn't always easy.
"So coming here, since yesterday, we've been surprised at how good the tyres have worked. We should be fine for tomorrow. We were a little afraid after the degradation we saw in Barcelona (in the final two tests), so that's a positive.
"But car-wise we came here and had a good feeling, although we never knew where we would be."
Sounding a note of caution, in particular after failing to finish last year's race when he slid off the track due to a wheel issue, Vettel said: "The gap now might appear to be very big, but it's a long season.
"A lot of things can happen, and today no-one has scored any points. Pole position is, of course, the best position to be in, so I'm very happy with that, but we need to keep our feet on the ground and let's see how we get on tomorrow."
If Vettel's time was a shock, so was seeing Hamilton take second spot on the grid when you consider the concerns aired a fortnight ago in Barcelona after the final test.
But a new exhaust system and new floor have propelled McLaren back into contention, with the delight on Hamilton's face obvious.
The 2008 world champion said: "I couldn't have dreamed two weeks ago I'd be in this position. I'm absolutely thrilled to be here.
"The guys back at the factory have done an unbelievable job, it's a massive step this weekend, and the car is feeling fantastic. Of course, we still have a lot of work to do, but we're on the right track and laid a great foundation to build upon.
"I know the guys back at the factory will keep going, but a big thank you to everyone at home. Keep pushing."
As for Webber, he was at a loss to understand where it all went wrong, in particular at just how far he is behind Vettel.
"I couldn't do the times today, and I'm disappointed with my performance," said Webber. "I tried my best, but to be honest I'm mystified at the gap to Seb, so I'll have to go through it and look at where I can improve. It's frustrating and not the best day for me. The bar is high and I would like to have done better."
Jenson Button, who has won the last two races here, will start from fourth in his McLaren, with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso fifth, whilst Michael Schumacher is a lowly 11th for Mercedes.
In his first qualifying session as an F1 driver, Paul di Resta will start from 14th in his Force India, two places ahead of team-mate Adrian Sutil who spectacularly spun on his final hot lap.
It was a brave effort from Hispania Racing, who only managed to get their new car on track late on Friday. However, neither Vitantonio Liuzzi nor Narain Karthikeyan will start the race after falling outside the 107 per cent rule that has been reintroduced for this season.