McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton have said that they were surprised by the lap Sebastian Vettel produced in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.
The German defending world champion finished his final Q3 lap at 1:22.275 to take pole, with Hamilton 0.45 seconds slower at 1:22.725.
"Seb was quicker today. We looked like we would be quite competitive through the weekend but today on the last lap he was untouchable," said Hamilton.
Both British drivers said that they could have possibly got a bit more out of the car but not enough to challenge the Red Bull.
"I agree with Lewis that even if we got a bit more, we couldn't have challenged Seb," Button said.
"The strange thing is these guys don't look like they are carrying much wing and they are quite a bit quicker than us in last sector with high-speed corners, so it's difficult to understand."
McLaren's team principal Martin Whitmarsh has said that he thinks this year's race at Monza will be one of the most exciting in recent years because of the DRS (Drag Reduction System) overtaking zones.
"We have to concentrate on the race and score some good points. It's not so important to be on pole position as in previous years," added Button.
He starts in third behind Hamilton and Vettel, alongside Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in fourth.
Pascal Lemesre
