Briton Jenson Button snared pole position just ahead of his teammate Rubens Barrichello as newcomers Brawn GP seized initial control of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Saturday.
Button, backed by just three days' testing with the Brawn team, hastily put together in the wake of a management buy-out of the Honda team, burnt off his rivals for his fourth career pole.
The 29-year-old, with just one victory in 153 GPs over nine seasons, has a marvellous chance for only his second GP triumph in Sunday's Melbourne race, with Barrichello looming as his chief threat for honours. It is the first time since 1970 that a new team has captured the pole in its first F1 race.
"It's fantastic. The team has really stuck together over a tough winter and they have produced a good car at the moment, and I feel they will make it even better," Button said.
Button swept around the Albert Street circuit in one minute, 26.202 seconds, ahead of Barrichello's best of 1:26.505.
Rising German star Sebastian Vettel was third quickest in his Red Bull in 1:26.830 in an eventful hour-long qualifying with world champion Lewis Hamilton a major casualty and now forced to start off on row eight of Sunday's grid.
The British star failed to come out of the McLaren garage for the second section of qualifying and was credited with the 15th position. Renault's two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will start off on the sixth row after his indistinguished 12th place.
World constructors champions Ferrari were also left behind in the slipstream of the two Brawns with Felipe Massa to come off the fourth row after his seventh and Kimi Raikkonen one row behind after his ninth.
Button is wary because the last time he had pole in Australia, in 2006, his Honda ended up limping home in 10th.
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