Button snared top spot on the grid as the new Brawn GP cars dominated qualifying; his Brazilian veteran teammate Rubens Barrichello landed second spot.

And in another sign of the sport's new order Red Bull claimed third when young gun Sebastian Vettel outperformed teammate Mark Webber, who will start from 10th.

World champion Lewis Hamilton and McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen limped around but Hamilton failed to leave the garage in the second session due to gearbox failure.

Kovalainen registered 14th fastest and Hamilton 15th but the Briton was later penalised five places and will start on the back row.

The Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen will begin from seventh and ninth positions respectively.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times