Right on the button again

MONACO – Formula One championship leader Jenson Button won pole position on Saturday for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Brawn GP driver will start first on the grid for the fourth time this year after setting a fastest lap of 1 minute, 14.902 seconds around the famous street circuit.

“Today was a really tight fight,” Button said. “(Qualifying) was manic as it always is in Monaco.”

Ferrari starts on the front row for the first time this season after Kimi Raikkonen finished 0.025 seconds behind.

Rubens Barrichello of Brawn GP and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel make up the second row with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Nico Rosberg of Williams filling the third row.

Lewis Hamilton, who won here last year, crashed during the first session to place 16th, but will be demoted to last on the grid for the first time in his career because the team had to change his gearbox.

“Their will definitely be an aim to overtake,” Hamilton said.

Button and Barrichello also started first and third at the previous Spanish GP, where they went on to lead Brawn GP to a 1-2 finish at Barcelona. Button took his seventh career pole, despite his car struggling for balance during practice on Thursday.

“Starting on pole is obviously an advantage ... but it’s a long race and anything can happen, as they say,” Button said. “Some people say Monaco can be a procession but I don’t think that will be the case. It’s not as easy as just qualifying on pole and you’ve won the race.”

(AP)