Championship leader Mark Webber will start the Belgian Grand Prix from pole position after a rain-affected qualifying session in Spa.
The Australian maintained Red Bull’s stranglehold on qualifying which has seen them take pole in 13 out of 14 races this season.
But McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton produced a superb performance to take second, ahead of Renault’s Robert Kubica.
Webber’s team-mate Sebastian Vettel was only fourth fastest.
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Formula 1: Belgian Grand Prix - Race Line-Up
F1 Standings Ahead of Belgian Grand Prix
Formula 1: Fernando Alonso Fastest in First Practice at Spa-Francorchamps
Formula 1: Belgian Grand Prix - First Practice Results
Formula 1: Fernando Alonso Fastest in Second Practice at Spa-Francorchamps
Formula 1: Belgian Grand Prix - Second Practice Results
Formula 1: Mark Webber Fastest in Final Practice at Spa-Francorchamps
Formula 1: Belgian Grand Prix - Final Practice Results
With Hamilton’s team-mate Jenson Button on the second row in fifth, it was a bad day for Ferrari, for whom Felipe Massa was sixth and Fernando Alonso a hugely disappointing tenth.
“It’s certainly a nice venue to get pole position, but the conditions were difficult and we were all tested,” said Webber.
“It was a good lap but you never know whether it’s going to be enough, and Lewis did a pretty good lap to get second when ‘La Source’ [turn one] was pretty greasy. But the race won’t be won on the first lap tomorrow.”
Hamilton said he might have been fast enough to take pole. BBC Sport
Force India driver Adrian Sutil will start in eighth position ahead of fellow German Nico Hulkenberg of Williams and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.
“Not a good session, it will be a tough race tomorrow,” was Ferrari’s immediate post-race comment on Twitter.
Hulkenberg set the fastest time in the Q1 opening mini-session which saw rookie Russian Vitaly Petrov fail to set a time for Renault after spinning on the exit of turn nine on his opening lap.
Sauber drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa joined Petrov on the casualty list after crashing out towards the end of the session.
Despite not making it to Q2, Italian Jarno Trulli of Lotus will start in 16th ahead of Nico Rosberg who has been given a five place grid penalty owing to a gearbox replacement. AFP
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