I wouldn’t bet against a titanic duel between Robert Kubica and Felipe Massa for a career highlight win at Monaco this afternoon. If Kubica wins the titanic battle then this might seal a Ferrari seat for the Pole next season.

However, it’s Red Bull driver Mark Webber who sits on pole for tomorrow’s race. The Australian showed that his domination at Barcelona last weekend was not a fluke and I was mightily impressed with his breath taking lap right at the end of qualifying to secure a vitally important pole.

Yes, I was impressed with Webber’s performance but I believe Kubica will win the race because he consistently churned out fast times. Webber could only produce the one. Kubica’s consistency will see him home in the principality of Monaco.

Webber’s team mate Sebastian Vettel may have qualified third but if it wasn’t for a great lap with seconds to spare then the German could have been fifth. Kubica and Massa were the only consistently quick drivers during qualifying and if Massa can get past Vettel at the first corner then it could be an almighty three way battle for a good chunk of the race.

Lewis Hamilton qualified a disappointing fifth with a mediocre display. The 2008 World Champion stated before the weekend that he would attack and take risks but I saw none of that during qualifying. I think he is already out of contention to win the race as he has too many places to make up on the tight streets of Monaco but the Brit could well get 3^rd and with that, some vital points.

Hamilton’s fellow countryman and team mate Jenson Button faired worse and has ruined his chances of getting anywhere near the podium after qualifying eighth. Monaco is tailor made for the World Champion’s beautifully smooth driving style but for some reason Button just didn’t look as one with the car. Button looked erratic as he was wrestling with the car and It’s hard to see the 30-year-old improving on his qualifying position.

Seven times World Champion Michael Schumacher qualified one place higher in the form of 7^th but the German is still a shadow of his former self. He might be only one place behind his team mate Nico Rosberg, but the young prodigy looks much quicker and happier with his Mercedes. Schumacher will find it hard to do improve on seventh but Rosberg’s pace could see him gain some decent points.

And on a final note, It was great to see Rubens Barrichello and Vitantonio Liuzzi rounding off the top ten. Barrichello may have a dog of a car but he is using all of his experience to produce something. The Brazilian would be happy to secure a points finish tomorrow. So would Antonio Liuzzi. Liuzzi is under real pressure as Paul di Resta is ready to replace the likable Force India driv if he produced one more dreadful performance but the Italian showed some real guts. If Liuzzi can follow this up with some points tomorrow then he can be sure of featuring in a few more races yet.

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