Vettel takes pole at Silverstone

By Alan Baldwin

SILVERSTONE, England (Reuters) - Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel seized his second pole position in a row while Formula One leader Jenson Button could qualify only sixth for his home British Grand Prix on Saturday.

Button's team mate and closest title rival Rubens Barrichello, whose last win was with Ferrari in 2004, took second place on the starting grid for Brawn GP with Australian Mark Webber third for Red Bull.

The pole, in a time of one minute 19.509 seconds, was the fourth of Vettel's Formula One career and third of the season. Barrichello lapped in 1:19.856 with the fuel loads yet to be revealed.

"I think we have done a step forward," said the 21-year-old German, whose victory in China makes him the only driver other than Button to have won a race this year.

The Briton has a 26 point lead over Brazilian Barrichello, and is 32 ahead of Vettel, with 10 races remaining.

Button struggled for a grip after failing to get the car balanced to his taste and was gloomy about his chances: "I think it is almost impossible (to win)," he said. "I haven't had the pace all weekend.

"I was hoping for something a bit better, being sixth is a lot worse than I thought it would be. So it's going to be a difficult race tomorrow."

WEBBER FURY