Sebastian Vettel was unbeatable on Saturday, his McLaren rivals admitted.
The Italian grand prix weekend looked set to be closely fought between Red Bull and the famous British team, but Vettel duly scored pole position by an easy half-tenth margin.
"Sebastian was mega quick today. That was untouchable," said fellow front-row sitter Lewis Hamilton.
His McLaren teammate Jenson Button, third, agreed: "We were never going to challenge Seb."
Red Bull entered the Monza weekend bouyed by good pace on the high speed Spa layout, but still wondering if the Renault engine would be good enough for the long straights.
"We did not think we would be on pole by such a big margin at a track that for the last two years did not suit us," admitted Vettel.
Team boss Christian Horner, speaking to BBC One television, agreed: "It's a massive margin, and was completely unexpected."
