Sebastian Vettel ended Lewis Hamilton's run of four straight pole positions on Saturday when he secured the prime starting spot for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.
Vettel's Red Bull team swept the front row in qualifying, with the 26-year-old German in awesome form and teammate Mark Webber just behind in second.
Hamilton slid off the circuit during Q2 and failed to make the cut to the top 10 shoot-out, eventually qualifying in 12th.
It was Vettel's fourth pole this year and the 40th of his career, setting him up to extend his 46-point lead ahead of Fernando Alonso in the drivers championship.
Seeking his third win at the Autodromo Nazionale, the series leader and defending triple world champion Vettel clocked a best lap time of one minute and 23.755 seconds ahead of Webber, who recorded a best of 1:23.968.
Vettel, who secured his maiden victory in a rain-swept race at Monza for Toro Rosso in 2008, said: "This is a special track for me and it is always nice to come back here. My memories of 2008 are great. I had another win in 2011, but your first win is always special. This weekend, the car was fantastic. In the end, it's a bit of a surprise to have both cars on the front row at a place, historically where we've had bad years."
{{/usCountry}}Vettel, who secured his maiden victory in a rain-swept race at Monza for Toro Rosso in 2008, said: "This is a special track for me and it is always nice to come back here. My memories of 2008 are great. I had another win in 2011, but your first win is always special. This weekend, the car was fantastic. In the end, it's a bit of a surprise to have both cars on the front row at a place, historically where we've had bad years."
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