Championship leader Sebastian Vettel will start the Italian Grand Prix from pole position after posting the fastest time in qualifying Saturday, while Lewis Hamilton's bid for a fifth straight pole ended in disappointment.

Vettel has won the Italian GP twice and will be hard to stop after securing his 40th career pole in impressive fashion. The three-time defending Formula One champion will share the front row with teammate Mark Webber.

Fernando Alonso needed a strong performance but finished fifth behind his Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, who was a surprising third.

Hamilton placed a lowly 12th in his Mercedes for his worst performance since last year's Spanish GP, while Kimi Raikkonen also recorded his poorest qualifying run of the campaign in 11th.