Korean Grand Prix Qualifying: Vettel on Pole for Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel has taken pole position in the 2013 Korean Grand Prix this morning, with Lewis Hamilton taking second for Mercedes.

Sebastian Vettel may not the the most popular man in Formula One at the moment, especially after he claimed the reason his car was so good was that Red Bull worked whilst the rest of F1 played.

But F1 isn’t a popularity contest, so Vettel’s arrogance – channelled in to his driving – sees  him sitting in a commanding position, once again, in the drivers championship – 60 points clear of Fernando Alonso – as we go in to the Korean Grand Prix.

And if this morning’s display is anything to go by, the only thing that will stop Vettel taking yet another drivers championship is mechanical failure. And that doesn’t seem very likely from Red Bull.

Vettel secured pole position for tomorrow’s Korean Gran Prix, beating Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes in to second place by 2 tenths. The second Red Bull of Mark Webber took third place – but Webber will start in 13th as a punishment for hitching a ride with Alonso in Singapore – and Romain Grosjean took fourth place for Lotus.

Behind Grosjean comes Rosberg in the Mercedes, the Ferraris of Alonso and Massa, the Saubers of Hulkenberg and Gutierrez, the Lotus of Raikkonen and the McLarens of Button and Ricciardo.

As usual, the grid is propped up by the Caterhams and Marussias, and the Korean Grand Prix tomorrow looks likely to follow the form of recent races.

But could this be the last Korean Grand Prix?

The stands were empty as qualifying took place and it does seem there’s little love in South Korea for F1. And with a proposed 22 races already on the 2014 F1 schedule, would it make sense to dump the Korean Grand Prix?