Webber thrilled with tyre call
Mark Webber thanked his engineer Ciaron Pilbeam for helping him make the crucial tyre decision that led to his Malaysian Grand Prix pole
The Australian was the only driver in Q3 to run on intermediate tyres, and as the track improved faster than expected following a heavy shower, Webber grabbed pole by 1.3 seconds.
"Collectively we all did [the decision], Ciaron and I, looking at the window," said Webber.
"It was starting to spit at the end there but in sections it was definitely the tyre to be on, and in other places it was a risk to throw it off.
"I didn't know if I was only guy on inters, so didn't know I was the blacksheep of the top ten. In the end we made the decision together and it was about putting it together - a tough one now for everyone."
He said the whole qualifying session had been a huge test, and that none of the big names eliminated early should feel too ashamed.
"It was a very tricky qualifying session for everyone, no question about it," said Webber.
"When you look at amount of standing water in places in Q1 and Q2, trying to get a clear lap was hard. It was a pretty challenging lap for everyone, my quickest lap in Q2 was a three point turn around Pedro [de la Rosa]...
"I wouldn't throw egg at anyone, it is so easy to get it wrong and easy to end up massively on the back foot and you can't respond, as you saw with Lewis [Hamilton] and both Ferraris.
"In Q2 you needed a canoe because it changed so quickly, you are doing 40-50 km/h. It was very, very tricky - this place when it rains we know is impressive."
After his messy Australian GP, Webber vowed to make the most of pole position tomorrow.
"We know Sundays we haven't executed the cleanest races this year," he admitted. "The guys have worked like hell in Milton Keynes and Viry, we are doing our utmost to execute those Sunday afternoons.
"Tomorrow is a long race, this place can throw up a lot of stuff in the two hour duration. We are not getting ahead of ourselves but we did what we had to do today."
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