Qualifying - Vettel takes vital Yas Marina pole

Sebastian Vettel will start the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix just where he wants, on pole position after lapping his Red Bull in 1m 39.394s. But the most important qualifying session of the year was a major disappointment for the team mate Mark Webber who managed only fifth place in 1m 39.925s and will be separated from Vettel by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Jenson Button.

Earlier, Hamilton had been fortunate to avoid the contact with Felipe Massa when, after a big slide on his first lap in Q2, he’d had to back off the pace and resumed just as the Ferrari was alongside. The former champion walloped a camera pole, but his McLaren did not sustain any damage and he recovered his momentum brilliantly to lap second quickest before his time eventually left him fifth in that session.

He already held second place as Q3 drew to its close, but trimmed his time down to 1m 39.425s to demonstrate to Vettel that he may yet have a race on his hands on Sunday. Alonso’s late improvement was bad news for Webber. The Spaniard lapped in 1m 39.792s to jump to third, ahead of Button on 1m 39.823s.

Webber will share row three with Massa, who lapped his F10 in 1m 40.202s, while Williams’ Rubens Barrichello’s 1m 40.203s left him seventh ahead of the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg on 1m 40.516s and 1m 40.589s respectively. Like Massa, both suffered in late-session traffic. Vitaly Petrov was 10th for Renault, with 1m 40.901s.

Vettel redefined the ante in Q2 with the fastest lap of the weekend thus far in 1m 39.874s, ahead of the revitalised Button, Rosberg, Webber and Hamilton. Further back, Robert Kubica surprisingly failed to make Q3, taking 11th place behind team mate Petrov with 1m 40.780s in a Renault that still seemed not to be running as well as it did on Friday.

Schumacher tells Mercedes to stay calm

Michael Schumacher has urged his Mercedes GP team to remain 'calm' about its inconsistent form as he hopes for a step forward to perform in Hungary in this weekend.

The seven-time world champion has endured an unspectacular return to the Formula 1 this season - with the team failing to find the form it needed to be battling for the title glory.

However, Schumacher remains focused on driving the Mercedes GP forward and reckons upgrades planned for the Hungaroring can be a big help.

"The German Grand Prix last weekend was clearly disappointing for us but we have seen a variety of the performances from our team over the past few races," he said.

"With this in mind, I will still go to Hungary with a positive feeling. It is clear that we need to understand our car better, and the track in the Budapest plus more time to evaluate our upgrades should help us in that respect.

"As I said after the last race, we have to remain calm, look into all the details and analyse our performance in order to learn as much as a possible from such weekends. That is the way we have to go in order to improve our situation which may already be possible this coming weekend in Hungary."

Team principal Ross Brawn has admitted that the team's car is still not been quick enough - but he remains positive for the future.

"The last race weekend in Germany was challenging for us, particularly following the podium finish at the Silverstone, and we were disappointed not to be competing further up the field," he explained.

"The team is doing a good job operationally but we need to find them more pace from the car and we continue to work very hard to achieve this.

"Hungary is a technically demanding circuit and should be a good proving ground for our latest upgrades, providing with a further invaluable track testing time, as we work to find the optimum set-up.

"Our two-week factory shutdown just after the race will be a well-deserved rest for our employees and the chance to recharge with their batteries before the busy final third of the season."

Schumacher hoping for German king

Michael Schumacher has admitted that is naturally hoping that fellow countryman Sebastian Vettel can win this year's Formula One world championship title, after admitting that his own sights are set on the success of next season.

The two Teutons were paired in the opening press conference of the German Grand Prix weekend, along with the Vettel's Red Bull team-mate and title rival Mark Webber, and Schumacher was asked which of his colleagues he foresaw taking the 2010 crown. Although he tried to hedge his bets - and not confine with his views simply to the Red Bull team - the seven-time champion conceded that his heart would always rule his head.

"First of all, it's obviously clear that both of the guys to the left and right of me have a very good package and a very good possibility to the fight and win the championship, but you probably don't have to forget the McLaren drivers, that they're still in the picture," Schumacher insisted, "I don't think it's finished yet, but naturally you sort of get the feelings of your national heart and coming up and, therefore, you sort of have a German tendency. I'm sorry Mark, but I guess that's normal."

Asked what advice he could give those hoping to follow in his footsteps - neither RBR driver has won an F1 title before, and of course - Schumacher admitted that there was no single key to unlocking the door.

"I don't think I can give the answer you're looking for in mentioning one of the particular part, because it's like a detailed or small piece or puzzle of the big picture," he stressed, "You have to have all those little bits together to and finally do it.

"I think from great champions there are always a lot of things you can learn and, also, if you look outside the table of F1, if you look at the others sports, [such as] tennis, golf, there are great players, great individuals," he said, "They're probably all talented, but then there are one or two been popping out, like Roger Federer and Nadal in tennis.

Schumacher F1 comeback 'a huge error personally'

Michael Schumacher's much-hyped and celebrated comeback in the F1 2010 was 'a huge error' personally, argues Eddie Jordan – with the man who had first gave the German legend his big break in the top flight just under two decades ago suggesting that the record-breaking multiple world champion is not even enjoying his return like he claims he is.

The tally from the opening ten grands prix of the campaign does not make for pleasant reading for the 'Schumi' fans, with only 36 points, no finish higher than fourth place and two failures to make the top ten on the starting grid at all – for a driver with some seven titles, 91 grand prix victories, 154 podium finishes and 1,369 points from his 'first career' at the highest level from 1991 to 2006, a poor return indeed.

Worse still, contrast that with the 90 points and three podiums notched up by Mercedes Grand Prix team-mate and the compatriot Nico Rosberg – and, moreover, an eight-two qualifying advantage in the younger German's favour – and the generally listless form in battle displayed by the Kerpen native, and many are wondering out loud as to whether he will really carry on into 2011.

Former team owner-turned-BBC F1 pundit Jordan contends that Schumacher badly miscalculated the challenge of rejoining the fray following to three seasons away from active competition, and that as such he always had far more to lose than to gain.

“Michael Schumacher's return was an excellent thing for the discipline, but for him personally, it's a huge error,” the colourful and ever-outspoken Irishman told theGerman publication Sport Bild. “To make a comeback at 41 years of age, to pitch yourself against young men 20 years younger than you, is simply against the laws of physics and medicine. [Doing it] just to feel good is not even the case – do you think that it would please him to be beaten by Nico Rosberg?”