Hamilton fifth on Indian GP grid

GREATER NOIDA, India (CMC/IANS):Lewis Hamilton will attempt to win the inaugural Indian Grand Prix today from fifth place on the starting grid.

The British race-car driver with Grenadian heritage finished second behind World champion Sebastien Vettel in qualifying yesterday at the Buddh International Circuit.

The 2008 World champion kept the McLaren-Mercedes right behind Vettel's tail after the first run in Q3 and finished second in one minute, 24.474 seconds, while the German clocked one minute, 24.437 seconds.

But the three-place grid penalty, incurred during Friday's practice session, came back to haunt Hamilton and he will start behind Vettel, his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber, Spaniard Fernando Alonso and Hamilton's McLaren teammate and fellow Brit Jenson Button.

Vettel took his 13th pole of the season and Red Bull have now become the first team to achieve 16 pole positions in a single season.

Inching close to record

Vettel is now just one short of Englishman Nigel Mansell's 1992 record.

The dust on track continued to be a major concern for the drivers.

"It is a new circuit so a new challenge," said Vettel. "I like the track and it is a bit tricky.

"It is a new circuit so a new challenge. There is still a lot of dust on the track so it will be interesting to see how it behaves. I am really excited for the race and would be proud if I end up winning it."

Webber, who finished third with 1:24.508, benefited from Hamilton's misery as he will start from the second spot, making a one-two start for Red Bull.

Alonso had to be content with fourth place on 1:24.519, but courtesy of Hamilton too, he will start from the third in the grid.

Button was also pushed a place up to fourth despite finishing fifth.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who set the best time during Friday's practice, qualified sixth despite crashing in the dying minutes of Q3. A broken right suspension in the Brazilian's car led to his crash at turn eight.