After the controversy surrounding the Singapore Grand Prix, with Sebastian Vettel claiming his team works harder than the rest, the Korean GP was a welcome distraction.
Mark Webber had the 10 place penalty hanging on top of him, and so it was doubly important for him to finish as high as possible. Predictions of a storm proved to be a wrong as the entire qualifying session took place in dry conditions.
Q1
There were no surprises in Q1 as all the expected teams made it to Q2, leaving the Marussias, the Caterhams and the Williams occupying the last 6 places on the grid. Kimi Raikkonen was the fastest in Q1, while Romain Grosjean and Mark Webber finished 13th and 15th respectively, with times just above the drop zone. Webber was on medium tyres, which might explain his place in 15th.
Q2
Q2 had a little more excitement as both the Saubers of Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez finished in the top 10, nudging out the McLarens of Jenson Button and Sergio Perez. Even the Force Indias could not find a place in the top 10, giving the perfect chance for Sauber to continue their resurgence, albeit late in the season. Webber did a lot better in Q2, the supersofts helping him get a better time. Kimi and Felipe Massa just about managed to make it to Q3.
Q3
Q3 saw the shootout for pole positions, with Vettel once again proving to be too good for his rivals. He shrugged off doubts about whether his car was illegally using Traction Control and put in a splendid drive to finish in P1 once again. Lewis Hamilton will start in P2, finishing 0.2 seconds behind Vettel while Webber finished 3rd. Grosjean, who finished P4, will be the beneficiary of the sanction on Webber as he gets to start on the cleaner side of the track, on P3. Rosberg, Alonso, Massa, Hulkenberg, Gutierrez and Raikkonen completed the top 10.
If you have missed the Qualifying, you can re-live it here in our live commentary.