2009 JAPAN GP: VETTEL ON POLE IN CHAOTIC QUALIFYING IN SUZUKA

Sebastian Vettel scored his first pole position since Silverstone in a chaotic Suzuka qualifying session interrupted by three red flags for massive crashes, one of which left Timo Glock injured. Vettel dominated the session for Red Bull, setting the fastest time in all three segments and beating Toyota's Jarno Trulli and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton to pole.
The first two red flags occurred in Q2, starting when Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari ploughed head-on into the Degner barriers after running wide on entry. The Spaniard was assisted out of his car but soon declared unhurt and cleared to race.

Then Glock had an even larger crash as he accelerated out of the final chicane - his Toyota understeering over the gravel at speed and spearing into the barriers. The medical team carefully extracted Glock, who was conscious and moving in the cockpit, and he was removed from the scene on a stretcher. The German waved to the crowd as he was placed into an ambulance and is being taken to hospital by helicopter with pain in his back and left leg.

With the red flags having interrupted most drivers' Q2 flying laps, there was a last minute sprint to get through to Q3 - and this was also interrupted when Sebastien Buemi crashed on the exit of Spoon and deposited his Toro Rosso's front wing and other debris in the middle of the track as he limped back to the pits.

Pos  Driver       Team                       Q1        Q2        Q3
1.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:30.883  1:30.341  1:32.160
2.  Trulli       Toyota                (B)  1:31.063  1:30.737  1:32.220
3.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:30.917  1:30.627  1:32.395
4.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:31.386  1:31.222  1:32.466
5.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:31.272  1:31.055  1:32.660
6.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:31.501  1:31.260  1:32.945
7.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:31.041  1:30.880  1:32.962
8.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               (B)  1:31.228  1:31.052  1:32.980
9.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:31.499  1:31.223
10. Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:31.196  1:31.103
11. Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:31.286  1:31.482
12. Alonso       Renault               (B)  1:31.401  1:31.638
13. Kubica       BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:31.417  1:32.341
14. Glock        Toyota                (B)  1:31.550
15. Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:31.571
16. Fisichella   Ferrari               (B)  1:31.704
17. Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:31.718
18. Grosjean     Renault               (B)  1:32.073
19. Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:32.087
20. Webber       Red Bull-Renault      (B)

Five Formula 1 drivers were given penalties for not lifting off during a yellow-flag period in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix. Championship leader Jenson Button, team-mate Rubens Barrichello, Renault driver Fernando Alonso, Force India's Adrian Sutil and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi were given five-place grid penalties after the session.

The race stewards deemed the first four drivers had not lifted off sufficiently at the end of Q2, when Buemi had crashed, leaving debris on track.

Swiss driver Buemi was also reprimanded by the stewards for driving back to the pits with a damaged car and impeding other drivers.