British Grand Prix qualifying as it happened

Can Lewis Hamilton or Jenson Button triumph at Silverstone around the same time Andy Murray becomes the first Briton since the 1930s to win Wimbledon? You'll have to join me tomorrow to find out. Rest well folks. Until tomorrow, it's good afternoon from me. Ciao.

As always, thanks for your company and contributions. I'll be back at 11:00 BST tomorrow morning for two hours of build up to the most eagerly-anticipated weekend on the British sporting calendar. We've got live coverage on BBC One from 12:05 before switching to BBC Two and BBC HD at 12:55 for the race live.

If you missed any of the action, why not read back through the 10,900 words of this live text commentary? Failing that, here's Andrew Benson's report to get you back up to speed. Keep an eye on bbc.co.uk/f1 for the qualifying highlights plus all the best driver reaction.

On that note, I think it's time for me to wrap up this marathon seven-hour live text commentary and rest up my fingers in preparation for what could be a crazy race tomorrow...

The last word from pole-sitter Fernando Alonso, who was last on pole in Singapore in 2010: "It was an important day for us. Almost two years with no pole for Ferrari is a long time. This pole is welcome. If the conditions stay the same we could see any type of race tomorrow. We could see safety cars and some rivers on the track that could put you at risk. Tomorrow will be a very demanding race and we need to be prepared."

Schumacher added that the team "committed for the dry side," for qualifying because they expect dry conditions for the race." It'll be interesting to see what other teams have decided to do in terms of set up and whether the rain does indeed stay away...

Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher, who starts third: "I am thankful for all the fans that remained with us in these dreadful conditions. It is pretty exceptional. We were close to fighting for pole today. We had the car and possibility to do so."

Well we had to wait a while, but when it came qualifying was every bit as exciting as we've become accustomed to this season. Disappointing for the fans that Lewis Hamilton couldn't battle for pole, and will start eighth, while Jenson Button is all the way back down in 18th, but we all know these boys love the wet weather so it's not over yet.

When asked whether he was concerned about setting his fastest time in Q2 under waved yellows, Fernando Alonso replied: "I didn't set a green (fastest) sector (time) in that particular lap with the yellow (flags). So I don't have any worries."

A bit more from Fernando Alonso: "It was not easy. To complete a lap with no huge mistakes is not easy in these conditions. I'm happy to be on pole after nearly two years. In these conditions the qualifying is probably the least important of the year but obviously for visibility it is always better to be on pole."

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who starts on pole: "It was tricky conditions for everyone. You have to be calm in some difficult moments. In Q2 we were on the red flag in positions 15 and 16, Felipe and me. We went through and then in Q3 we had the difficult choice between inter and full wet. When we saw everyone on the inter, we relax a little and put a lap together."

Red Bull's Mark Webber, who starts second: "It was a very tight session. You don't know how it's going, you just focus on yourself. In a session like this, it's a huge amount down to the driver to get comfortable in the car. It was nip and tuck with Fernando to get pole."

And here's what the boys on the front row had to say...

Ferrari driver Felipe Massa: "I think the situation was very tricky for us and we had red flag when we were P16. Fortunately we had time to do some more laps. We were fighting for pole in Q3. I had some mistakes on the last sector of my best lap which was not good for me but looking at where our car was, I think it is very positive where we are starting."

Fernando Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa delivered his best qualifying performance of the season with fifth...

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean, who qualified 10th after spinning in Q2, said: "I don't know yet [why I spun] I just know I lost the rear of the car. I probably made a bit of mistake and that was that."

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, who starts tomorrow fourth: "It was a tough day and it is raining again so we will see what happens tomorrow. It was difficult at the end but I think we should have been a bit quicker."

Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher, who will start third: "I think we look reasonably competitive in wet condions on both the wet and intermediates so rain is welcome tomorrow. It was an exciting session today, particularly in Q2 when I had the wrong visor on. It didn't have anti-fog so I didn't have much visibility and found myself sideways at Becketts but we recovered in the delay. I'm very happy to be third, it's good for the team and thanks to all of the guys."

But there was better luck for his seven-time world champion team-mate Michael Schumacher who continued his good run of form with third...

Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, who will start 13th: "We were not quick enough today in general and I don't know why. We were quick in those conditions yesterday but there is still always tomorrow. The race will probably be all over the place so I can still get a lot of points."

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who will start eighth, said: "I am not happy. Eighth is not the best position but that is life. I struggled a lot and could not get temperature into the tyres for some reason. I also had no grip and we were skidding all over the place. We will try and understand why and fix it for tomorrow. The fans have been great, they have been very patient and were so supportive. Unfortunately we did not get the front row but we can still push through tomorrow."

Right then, let's hear from some of the main protagonists from that session...

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali: "You can see how things change in a few minutes. It shows you have to stay cool up to the end. It was an incredible lap from Fernando."

Sauber's Sergio Perez, who qualified 17th, said: "We went out there with inters and I could not get the lap time and it is a big shame. We had the pace but we as a team made a wrong call. Hopefully we can get it back tomorrow."

Force India's Paul di Resta, who will start 11th: "It was a difficult one. It was under yellow but that is not something I can look at it is something for the stewards. Tomorrow we are still hopeful, we start in a reasonable position."

So here's how they finished:

1) Alonso 2) Webber 3) Schumacher 4) Vettel 5) Massa 6) Raikkonen 7) Maldonado 8) Hamilton 9) Hulkenberg 10) Grosjean

11) Di Resta 12) Kobayashi 13) Rosberg 14) Ricciardo 15) Senna 16)Vergne 17) Perez

18) Button 19) Petrov 20) Kovalainen 21) Glock 22) De la Rosa 23) Karthikeyan 24) Pic

The rain is really coming down now, but Fernando Alonso won't care because he's on pole position, providing the stewards don't take any action against him for setting his fastest lap when the yellow flags were out.

A disconsolate Lewis Hamilton squeezes the front left tyre of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari as he trudges off to get weighed. He'll be disappointed with eighth place in front of his home crowd.

The top four are separated by just four tenths of a second. Fernando Alonso steps out of his car, embraces his team-mate Felipe Massa, who qualified an impressive fifth, and heads off to get weighed.

Fernando Alonso crosses the line, the back end stepping out slightly, but goes quickest of all by just 0.04 seconds. Mark Webber is still on a lap, but he can't improve. Michael Schumacher's looking good, too, but he slots into third, two tenths off the pace.

Kimi Raikkonen improves to fourth place with a brilliant lap, but Lewis Hamilton can't improve and stays sixth.

Mark Webber is absolutely flying. The Australian goes quickest by seven tenths of a second. Brilliant stuff. Sebastian Vettel makes a mistake in the other Red Bull and backs off ready for one more shot.

Felipe Massa improves, as the Ferrari snakes through the final corner, but is still half-a-second slower than team-mate Fernando Alonso. Lewis Hamilton can only manage sixth fastest.

Fernando Alonso goes even quicker, clocking 1:52.544, one second clear of his Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa in second. Sebastian Vettel goes third in his Red Bull.

Michael Schumacher is told to come in and put on a set of intermediate tyres as Fernando Alonso is looking quick on that tyre. Kimi Raikkonen has come in for some inters, too.

Michael Schumacher goes quickest of all on the full wets, but then gets beaten by Fernando Alonso on the inters. Felipe Massa down to third ahead of Pastor Maldonado, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.

Pastor Maldonado sets the initial pace with a 1:58.016 but Felipe Massa usurps him with a 1:55.617. Lovely lap from the Ferrari driver.

Lewis Hamilton went out on full wets, but realised the conditions had improved so he's come back in for some intermediates. Both Red Bulls are out there on the inters.

Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Hulkenberg, Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean have made it into the top 10.

Force India driver Paul di Resta is told he has qualified 11th by his team and will take no further part in the session to which the Scot replies: "Wasn't there yellow flags?" He was referring to those drivers who had achieved their fastest lap when there were yellow flags for Grosjean's spin and knocked him out of qualifying as a result.

Fernando Alonso just creeps into the top 10 in ninth place - but we'll have to wait and see whether he slowed down sufficiently in the yellow flag zone where Romain Grosjean had spun into the gravel.

Rosberg, Maldonado, Alonso, Ricciardo, Vergne, Perez and Senna are in the drop zone...

Lewis Hamilton is currently quickest, just ahead of Michael Schumacher with Mark Webber third and Nico Hulkenberg fourth.

The times are just tumbling as the drivers become more confident in these conditions. Mark Webber is out leader and theonly man in the 1m55s, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg with a few seconds remaining.

Romain Grosjean goes quickest in the Lotus, 1.5 seconds quicker than Sergio Perez's leading time before the restart. Michael Schumacher is having to work that steering wheel really hard just to keep the car on track, buy it all comes together and he goes quickest...

Schumacher, Alonso and Grosjean are the big names in the drop zone at the moment....

Pastor Maldonado is the first man out, ahead a long train of cars. Lewis Hamilton reports that there's still a lot of spray and very slippery so the full wets were the right option.

After missing the European Grand Prix through illness, Marussia driver Timo Glock said: "I am feeling okay again. It was tough in Valencia to sit at the airport while everyone else started the race, but I am back to normal again."

Lewis Hamilton has gone out on the full wet tyres, Kamui Kobayashi and Kimi Raikkonen have chosen intermediate tyres.

So just to remind you we have six minutes and 19 seconds remaining of this session when it gets under way. Sergio Perez is currently fastest of all in Q2, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

The sun has come out just as Pastor Maldonado crawls out of the garage four minutes before the session starts. Bit of a strange decision because the tyres will get cold while he sits there...

Lewis Hamilton pulls on his helmet, puts his Hans device in place and steps into his McLaren ready to get going, 90 minutes after qualifying was stopped because of the bad weather.

It's starting to brighten up at Silverstone now and the rain has stopped falling. Could we see some action soon?

More from Warwick: "The fans have been very supportive here, and they are looking forward to tomorrow's race. Absolutely [all fans are welcome if they have a ticket]. We have all come for the race, it will be a good race. It will be mixed conditions but who is best in mixed conditions? Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton so we are hoping for a British win."

Derek Warwick, the president of the British Racing Drivers' Club that owns Silverstone: "It is a shame the rain came and qualifying was halted but we have to work round it. I can't control it and even Bernie Ecclestone can't. If Bernie can't then no-one can!"

Good news for those who have one of the 120,000 tickets for Sunday's race - BRDC president and former F1 driver Derek Warwick tells us that everyone is welcome.

An army of marshals are out on track doing a super job sweeping water off the track. Good work lads.

Mercedes' team boss Ross Brawn: "We can't have too much standing water because the cars will aquaplane. I would anticipate we would get back out 45 minutes from when the rain stops. I have been here before when we have had some nasty incidents and we want to avoid that. If we didn't stop we would still not have been able to have Q3."

Nico Rosberg has dragged his Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn out into the pit lane to take part in a Mexican wave. He's a good sport and gets involved to the delight of the fans.

One team who will be grateful for the break is Lotus who have taken the floor off Kimi Raikkonen's car and are trying to fix his Kers problem.

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone: "I feel sorry for the fans to be honest with you. You can't blame anybody, it's the weather. There would have been no problem with the car parking if it hadn't rained."

Breaking news: F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone does NOT criticise Silverstone...

The fans are still in high spirits, performing Mexican waves all around the circuit. Hopefully we'll have some action for you soon. Encouragingly, BBC co-commentator David Coulthard reports the conditions are improving.

Race director Charlie Whiting: "It looks like the rain should stop at 14:45 BST. We are clearing the water now and we will do our best to make sure it is driveable after that. The main thing is to ensure there is no standing water where cars can aquaplane. It is an estimate but we could get going again at around 15:00 with a bit of luck."

We're hearing from race director Charlie Whiting that the cars could be allowed back out around 15:00 BST providing the conditions improve as expected.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner speculates that if the rain doesn't stop one option to make a grid for tomorrow is to have them starting in car number. Can't think why he would want that. Oh, hang on...

More from Williams driver Bruno Senna: "The problem is when we get a lot of cars going off the track, you might get a red flag from a crash. I think it was the right decision to bring out the red flag and hopefully conditions will get better and we can soon get back out on the track."

Red Bull boss Christian Horner reports that even if the rain stops, the major problem is the standing water on track. Well let's get the marshals and fans out there with some brooms to sweep it away, then...

Williams driver Bruno Senna: "It was difficult in Q2. We made a mistake going out on the inters and when we went on full wets it was too late. It was very frustrating but we will see what happens with the rain and hopefully when it restarts we will be competitive again. These conditions are really tough because we run very low ride heights. At high speeds you lose downforce so everything accumulates and you end up having a big off. It is very tough in the car when conditions are like this."

Some positive news as BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson, who is standing around in the rain while Jake and EJ have a coffee in the Red Bull hospitality, reports the rain has eased.

Race control will give drivers a 10-minute warning ahead of a restart.

Kamui Kobayashi is out of the car assessing the conditions in the pit lane but Mark Webber has decided to stay in the car and stay in focus.

More from Jenson Button, who has never been on the podium at Silverstone in 11 attempts: "It got wet for some reason in the last sector and it is a pity but it was not meant to be. The good thing is that these guys are running around for two more sessions on their tyres and it is going to rain tomorrow. It is going to be very difficult for everyone but I will have better tyres. I would rather put on a much better show for fans on Saturday but it is the story of my year, not getting heat on the fronts so I am not too upset. I know I can drive a car in the wet."

McLaren driver Jenson Button, who will start 18th: "I could not get any heat on the front tyres. I felt it straight out of the pits. I couldn't get any heat on the fronts and that is why I could not get a lap time on those tyres."

I'm pleased to say that if you switch BBC Two on, you'll hear the dulcet tones of the one and only Murray Walker. It only takes him a couple of seconds to say "unless I'm very much mistaken". Oh Murray, it's great to have you back.

Jake and EJ have headed into Red Bull to escape the rain with EJ deciding now would be a good time to get some soup...

Sergio Perez was quickest before the red flag came out, half-a-second quicker than Lewis Hamilton with Nico Rosberg third, Jean-Eric Vergne fourth and Nico Hulkenberg fifth.

Do you remember the rain-hit 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying when Nico Hulkenberg took pole position in a frantic last-lap scramble on dry-weather tyres on a damp track? It goes to show that when the rain falls, anything can happen...

The clock has stopped with six minutes and 17 seconds remaining.

Pastor Maldonado, Paul di Resta, Romain Grosjean, Michael Schumacher, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso and Bruno Senna currently in the drop zone. Williams' Senna hasn't even been out yet.

Lewis Hamilton now on the radio saying it's "so slippery" out here and that he nearly hit a Sauber. His McLaren team tell him to pit this lap.

Super driving from Fernando Alonso who loses the rear end of the car but does brilliantly to avoid the wall. He then gets on the radio to tell his team race control should bring out the red flag because the conditions are so bad.

Sergio Perez is the current pace-setter with a 1:59.092 ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jean-Eric Vergne.

To watch the qualifying coverage on the new BBC interactive video player (IVP), which has live rewind, click here. You've also got Pit Lane, On Board, Driver Tracker, Live Timing and Alternative Commentary options on there.

Sensibly, the Ferraris have headed in for full wets while on track, Michael Schumacher touches the kerbs at Becketts and spins round. Luckily, he keeps that Mercedes out of the gravel and is able to rejoin the track.

Jean-Eric Vergne is really fighting that Toro Rosso, struggling to keep the car pointing in the right direction - and he's on the full wet tyres. There's standing water everywhere. Anything could happen...

Ferraris and Williams have gone out on the intermediates to assess the conditions while everyone else is on full wet tyres. I have to say that looking at the conditions, full wets are definitely the way to go.

Paul di Resta's Force India is snaking all over the place. The Scot is really struggling for grip - maybe those inters have gone off. Meanwhile, Jenson Button starts his final flying lap. If he improves, it means Nico Rosberg will be out of qualifying as he's in the garage and currently 17th, one place above the drop zone.

Jenson Button has just popped in for a new set of intermediates. The McLaren driver only has one lap to make sure he gets into Q2. It's all or nothing now for the Briton. He needs to find at least three tenths.

Both Saubers have realised the track is not right for slicks and come back in for intermediates.

Sebastian Vettel goes quickest of all with a 1:46.279, one tenth quicker than Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India. Jenson Button is now in the drop zone with the usual suspects.

Both Saubers have come in for slicks. Brave boys.

Now it's a Sauber 1-2 at the top of the timesheets, with Sergio Perez leading Kamui Kobayashi, with Fernando Alonso third and Romain Grosjean fourth. Times now down into the mid-1m46s.

Pastor Maldonado is our new leader, getting down into the low 1m47s. He's one tenth clear of Daniel Ricciardo with Sergio Perez in third and Jean-Eric Vergne in fourth. The Toro Rosso looking good in these drying conditions.

The times are changing every lap with 10 minutes to go in this session. Petrov, Rosberg, Kovalainen, Glock, De la Rosa, Pic and Karthikeyan currently in the drop zone.

Kamui Kobayashi, who completed more laps than most on Friday, now goes quickest in the Sauber, three tenths quicker than Lewis Hamilton in second. Jenson Button still in the drop zone.

The track is improving all the time, so the best thing to do is keep pushing on every lap.

Lewis Hamilton now on top in his McLaren. It's a 1:49.7, three tenths quicker than Daniel Ricciardo. Jenson Button is 18th and in the drop zone, but he's on a lap at the moment. Sergio Perez tells his team the track "is drying out big time".

Daniel Ricciardo goes quickest in the Toro Rosso. Crikey. Pastor Maldonado goes second ahead of Felipe Massa in the Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber are both in the drop zone at the moment.

Michael Schumacher goes fastest, the first man into the 1m49s, with Nico Rosberg slots into second. Kamui Kobayashi is third ahead of Fernando Alonso and Jean-Eric Vergne.

Kamui Kobayashi is the first man to set a time lap - a 1:50.411. Further back, Kimi Raikkonen almost hits his Lotus team-mate Romain Grosjean as everyone struggles to find some space. We could see a shock or two in this session people.

Jenson Button team radio: "Conditions are going to get worse so we need to nail these first few laps."

All 25 drivers are out on track, so the challenge will be to find some space - and quickly before the rain gets heavy - to get a banker lap in.

Miserable news from Kimi Raikkonen who is told that he has no Kers for this session just as he pulls out of the pit lane. The intermediate is the tyre of choice as they all head out in light rain...

Vitaly Petrov is told that the team expect the rain to get heavier so he needs to head out straight away and do five timed laps. As he says that, rival cars fly out of the garage and form a queue down the pit lane.

Former McLaren team boss Ron Dennis, who is now chairman of the company, is in attendance today, keeping an eye on activity in the team garage. No pressure, then, boys.

Just 10 minutes to go until qualifying now. Don't forget you can watch the action on BBC Two or this website plus listen to coverage on BBC Radio 5 live.

Force India's Paul di Resta: "I would love to be in a car that is winning races, that is the key thing. The results from today and the results from the coming races will determine that. I am a Force India driver this weekend and that is where my focus is."

Read more from Di Resta on the Formula 1 pages.

Jake has sat down with Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren motorhome and agreed that if Hamilton wins the British Grand Prix and picks up a fine for stopping outo n track to celebrate with the fans, he will pay it.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner: "I think Mark Webber is very keen to stay with the team. We are very happy with his performance and we will sit down and have talk about the future. He is doing a great job and I don't see any reason why he wont be with the team next year."

Red Bull driver Mark Webber admits that he's had "light" discussions with other teams about a seat next year. Read more about the Australian's future on the Formula 1 pages.

BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson is having a snoop in the Caterham garage. Asian businessman Tony Fernandes' team believe they have improved the car's pace by half-a-second with the raft of new updates this weekend.

Force India Paul di Resta: "We had some issues in FP1 and in FP3 we had a Kers failure pretty early. Hopefully we will be in better shape during qualifying. The fans have been great. There are not many places like it here, where people would not turn up in these circumstances but hopefully we will show when they are determined to travel."

Jake is in the Force India garage with Paul di Resta who had a Kers problem in the final practice this morning...

Sensational feature on BBC Two right now as Eddie Jordan takes a walk down memory lane by visiting the Force India factory which used to house his Jordan F1 team many moons ago.

If you're just joining us and missed final practice, where Fernando Alonso topped the times ahead of Jenson Button, here's Andrew Benson report.

Silverstone managing director Richard Phillips: "We did have an unprecedented amount of rainfall. The car parks were fairly sound on Thursday but we had a double whammy with rain and then the campsites closed down and the campers had no where to go.

"It was unfortunate that we had to turn people away but there are a lot of people here today and hopefully we have a fighting chance for tomorrow. We are very optimistic that we will be in business tomorrow. We will make an announcement this afternoon."

Jake has cornered Richard Phillips, managing director of Silverstone, to get some answers to the questions fans trying to get to the track will surely have...

The Chain rings out on BBC Two. Let's get this started.

The pit lane is starting to fill up with VIP guests and get a closer look at the cars before they head out for qualifying. Jake, EJ and DC are in the middle of it all, making final preparations before going live on BBC Two at 12:10 BST.

The latest update from BBC weatherman Ian Fergusson is that further showers "are very possible". But at the moment, an hour before qualifying, the sunglasses are out.

Plenty of blue sky over Silverstone at the moment but Jake and DC are still wrapped up in their standard-issue BBC Sport black jackets. Just spotted EJ with a black and white flowery collar peaking out from under his coat. It would be a crime if that little number never sees the light of day.

There's just 30 minutes until the Jake, EJ and DC get going on BBC Two. They'll have 50 minutes of build up for you before qualifying gets under way at 13:00.

The new(ish) Silverstone pit-lane is an interesting one, with half of the garages hidden behind a wall because the track runs uphill. It's difficult to appreciate just how steep the pit lane exit is, so I took this picture which shows how high the wall is at the front end of the pit-lane and another which shows also how steep the track is at the exit.

Do you ever wonder what Nick Heidfeld driver is up to? The German, who was unceremoniously dumped by Renault half-way through last season, will make his debut in the Porsche Supercup on home soil during the German Grand Prix weekend later this month. The former Jordan, Williams and Sauber driver finished fourth in the Le Mans 24 Hours last month will drive in the seventh round of the F1 support series.

The fans are currently being treated to some Porsche action out on track, talking of which...

And here's 13-24:

13) Webber 14) Schumacher 15) Vergne 16) Massa 17) Ricciardo 18) Rosberg 19) Kovalainen 20) Petrov 21) Glock 22) Pic 23) Karthikeyan 24) De la Rosa.

So here's how they finished 1-12:

1) Alonso 2) Button 3) Grosjean 4) Vettel 5) Raikkonen 6) Hamilton 7) Maldonado 8) Perez 9) Kobayashi 10) Hulkenberg 11) Senna 12) Di Resta

So Fernando Alonso is looking mighty, fastest in the first and third sectors, but Jenson Button - who has had a miserable run of results of late - looks to have turned a corner with the second fastest time. Admittedly, it's only practice but it's still encouraging for the Briton.

The chequered flag is out, but there are still a few guys out there on flying laps. Jenson Button's McLaren team tell him his last lap was "very good on a used set of option tyres".

BBC Radio 5 live analyst Jaime Alguersuari sees Jenson Button as a "definite podium contender" this weekend. The McLaren driver has never stepped aboard the podium at his home race since making his F1 debut in 2000.

Sebastian Vettel steps up to third fastest on the soft tyres, two tenths off the leading pace set by Fernando Alonso. As I say that, Jenson Button then pops into second, 0.191 seconds slower than the Ferrari.

BBC Radio 5 live pit lane reporter Jennie Gow has just spoken to Mercedes again and it's a hydraulics problem for Nico Rosberg.

Kobayashi's Sauber team-mate Sergio Perez is in the wars, too. The Mexican bounces across the grass and breaks off his front wing.

We're using the new BBC interactive video player (IVP) this weekend, which has live rewind! During qualifying and the race you'll be able to get all your usual Pit Lane, On Board and Driver Tracker views. Plus the full screen function uses high-definition resolution, so it looks great. Read more about IVP here or just enjoy the action now!

Pastor Maldonado goes fourth quickest in the Williams, four tenths off the pace. Interestingly, Michael Schumacher is down in 18th but his best time was set very early in the session when the track was not at its best.

Replays show the Ferrari driver touched the kerb on the final corner, which is still wet, and that spins the back end of the car round. It takes him a while to find reverse, but eventually he does before gingerly rejoining the track.

Fernando Alonso, winner at Silverstone in 2011, has gone quickest of all, three tenths clear of Romain Grosjean. That bumps Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button down to third and fourth respectively, but we're hearing from BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson that they are bolting on a new front wing assembly so let's see if that does the business.

For those of you stuck in your cars, all parking spaces for Saturday were filled by 09:00 BST. To find out the latest on the car parking situation, check out our Formula 1 pages.

Sergio Perez is an impressive third in the Sauber, two tenths off the pace with his team-mate Kamui Kobayashi in sixth. Could the white and blue team be a dark horse this weekend? They have picked up two podiums already this season courtesy of Perez...

BBC Radio 5 live pit lane report Jennie Gow has had a chat to Marussia and it seems Charles Pic had a fuel system issue which forced him to stop out on track.

Silverstone looking beautiful as it gets bathed in sunshine, yes sunshine. The clouds are dispersing and blue sky breaking through. Who knows how long it will last, but let's enjoy it while it's here. Break out the sunglasses, rip off those jackets and get yourself an ice cream.

Nico Rosberg pulls out of his garage, coasts down the pit lane and then sets the car up for a practice start before blasting out on track. Heikki Kovalainen tells his team not to bother sending him out until the pit lane is clear because he doesn't want to lose tyre temperature. Every degree counts, remember.

Paul di Resta - one of three Brits on the grid - gets some bad news when his Force India team inform him his Kers is not working.

McLaren's Jenson Button pops in a tasty lap, 0.069 seconds slower than Nico Rosberg's leading time to go second. Sebastian Vettel goes fifth fastest, 0.655 seconds off the pace, in his Red Bull with Lewis Hamilton down in 15th.

Paul di Resta is one of many drivers to hit that puddle down on the exit of Becketts, and the Force India driver is just a passenger as his Force India spins around before coming to a stop. He's kept his engine running, though, so can continue on his way.

The sun is out, people as blue sky breaks through the clouds. But as I say that, Michael Schumacher's race engineer Jock Clear reports that rain is coming in three to five minutes. I do hope he's wrong.

Nico Rosberg goes quickest of all with a 1:33.733 as the track continues to dry out. That's four tenths quicker than his Mercedes team-mate Michael Schumacher managed.

Bruno Senna has completed his installation lap and headed back to the pits. The Williams team have done a good job repairing that car after he tore the front left corner of the car in an accident in second practice. If everything is alright, I suspect he'll be out and about pretty sharpish as most drivers haven't bothered with an install lap, instead wanting to just get on with it.

Michael Schumacher is the early pace-setter, clocking a 1:34.517 in his Mercedes. BBC F1 technical analyst Gary Anderson says he expects teams to have fuelled up the cars for a lot of laps so they can get an idea of how the tyres are performing following Friday's lack of running.

Big moment for Kimi Raikkonen who manages to hit what looks like the only wet patch on the circuit on the exit of Becketts. The Lotus gets a tankslapper, but keeps a hold of it, running of track before rejoining.

James Allen and Jaime Alguersuari are up and running on the BBC Red Button and this very website. Sensational scenes in the Silverstone pit-lane as there's a queue of cars forming, gagging to get out on track. Bravo.

Encouragingly, the grandstands on the final corner Club and main straight are packed with fans - so good on them for getting in on time. The majority, as you'd expect, are decked out in red hats and union jack flags in support of McLaren's Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

So we've got third practice at 10:00 BST, which lasts an hour, with James Allen and Jaime Alguersuari providing commentary from 09:55 on the BBC Red Button, BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and this website. Qualifying starts at 13:00, with Jake and the boys live on BBC Two from 12:10.

I'll of course keep you updated on the situation around Silverstone throughout the morning, but for now, let's turn our attention to the track action. Friday practice saw drivers only complete a handful of laps which means this morning third and final practice - which begins at 10:00 on the BBC Red Button and this very website - should be very busy indeed.

There were positive signs on Twitter this morning with fans saying their journey to Silverstone was a breeze, but a circuit spokeswoman has told BBC Radio 5 live that they have closed car parks and are now turning fans away.

Silverstone got itself in a right old state on Friday as it seems the wettest June on record left the ground so saturated, it couldn't cope with anymore rain. So when it fell on Friday, although not that heavily, the fields surrounding Silverstone - which double as car parks - couldn't cope. The result, fans trampling around in the mud, cars getting stuck, organisers shutting car parks leaving those on the road with nowhere to go. People were still trying to get in last night when those who did get in were leaving.

Welcome to rain-soaked, boggy Silverstone. Welcome to miles of clogged up roads and utter chaos. Welcome to qualifying for the British Grand Prix.

Andy Murray has held up his side of the bargain, now it's time for Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button or maybe even Paul di Resta to deliver the goods and give the fans - who actually make it to the track - something to cheer about...