Two hours before the start of qualifying it looked as though any of the five men still in contention for the world championship were in with a shout for pole position - plus Robert Kubica, who had just set the pace in the morning practice session.

Four different drivers from four different teams were within nine-hundredths of a second of each other at the top of the timesheets and all the protagonists admitted it was just too close to call.

But for the 14th time in 17 qualifying sessions it was a Red Bull-Renault which ended up on pole, on-form Sebastian Vettel retaining his momentum after his lights-to-flag win at Suzuka two weeks ago.

His team-mate Webber was less than a tenth off the pace with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso under two-tenths back in third, but the McLarens and Renaults surprisingly failed to challenge.

The unexpected extra speed of the RB6 and F10 might be due to the 'retarded ignition' concept perfected by both teams, which enables exhaust gases to flow over the car's rear wing even after the driver releases the throttle, increasing downforce and stability under braking and turn-in.

Red Bull in particular used this to their advantage in the qualifying sessions for the early races but the stress it causes on the engine means that it can only safely be used in short bursts - the pole position shoot-out, in other words.

So if this concept is the difference between the leading three cars on the grid and the McLarens then it's fair to say that we can expect the race pace of the Woking constructor's cars to be much closer to their rivals than they were on Saturday.

We've seen in other races how the McLaren has been right on the pace in free practice, only to fall away in qualifying but be in good shape over a race distance.

If this pattern repeats then perhaps Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button might be worth siding with from fourth and seventh on the grid.

Hamilton's starting position from the dirty side of row two is far from ideal - indeed Kubica claimed that "people who start on the left hand side, unless it is raining... will have a big disadvantage," - but the straightline speed of the Mercedes-powered engine will hopefully negate any problems with initial traction when the lights go out.

The fastest McLaren was 4kph faster in the speed trap than the quickest Red Bull, while the Ferraris were 6-7kph off Button's benchmark time.

This suggests that not only the Red Bulls could be targeted on the massive straight following turn one but, crucially, the Ferraris look to be running more wing and therefore could be vulnerable to attack from the British pair.

"You can make or break your race on the first lap so we will be looking for a good start and to make up some places," said the current world champion after qualifying.

"The good thing is that I am going to be on the clean side and there are a couple of long straights after the start so it is going to be a fun first lap."

Given that Button is set for a good start, he looks well worth siding with at the 33/1 offered by a handful of bookies - take him each-way at one-fifth place terms.

We're slightly less convinced by Hamilton at the prices but we'll throw him in the staking plan because of his track record in tricky and changeable conditions.

The pair finished first and second at an incident-filled Chinese Grand Prix back in April and we wouldn't rule out a similar outcome if indeed the circuit becomes difficult to drive.

Rain is expected overnight at the Yeongam circuit, which could wash away the rubber which has built up over the last couple of days and bring out the oils which settled on the surface after its construction.

Conditions were treacherous on the virgin asphalt early in the weekend - even the safety car left the track on its reconaissance run on Thursday - so any return to those grip levels could see a chaotic opening few laps.

In fact the rain is only scheduled to clear a couple of hours before the start of the race and with humidity high we could even see damp conditions as the clock ticks down to the race start.

Under those circumstances grid position is all but irrelevant so this is another good reason to pass over the front three at the available prices.

We've seen this season how the Red Bull can be a handful in slippery conditions, so Alonso and the McLaren drivers - plus our Thursday tip Kubica - would look the better value on a damp track.

PICKS:
Jenson Button to win at 26.00 at at Bet365
Lewis Hamilton to win at 7.50 at at Bwin
Hamilton/Button dual forecast at 34.00 at Bet365