Vettel takes Toro Rosso's first pole at Italian GP

Germany's Sebastian Vettel seized his and Toro Rosso's first Formula One pole position in an astonishing Italian Grand Prix qualifying session on Saturday.

With the rain teeming down at the fastest circuit on the calendar, the 21-year-old timed his quickest lap to perfection while championship contenders Ferrari and McLaren came unstuck.

McLaren's championship leader Lewis Hamilton qualified 15th, one place behind Ferrari's world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa, just two points behind Hamilton with five races remaining, will start Sunday's race in sixth place.

McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen joined Vettel on the front row with Red Bull's Australian Mark Webber sharing the second row with Toro Rosso's French driver Sebastien Bourdais.