CHAOS was the order of the day as Fernando Alonso grabbed top spot on the grid at this afternoon's British Grand Prix in controversial circumstances, ending Ferarri's 31-race wait for a pole amid dreadful conditions and a rain delay.
The drivers' championship leader, last year's Silverstone winner is joined on the front row by his closest rival, Red Bull's Mark Webber, who was 0.047 seconds slower, with Mercedes' Michael Schumacher lining up third and Sebastian Vettel fourth.
Lewis Hamilton is the highest-placed British driver in eighth, followed by Force India's Paul Di Resta in 11th and Jenson Button, Hamilton's McLaren team-mate, back in 18th.
There was, however, a lingering question mark over whether Alonso had set his fastest lap of the session under yellow warning flags after Frenchman Romain Grosjean slid his Lotus into the gravel. Stewards were expected to investigate.
Having made the mistake of starting Q2 in intermediate tyres, Alonso and team-mate Felipe Massa were forced into the pits to change to extreme wets as the rain intensified.
That meant they were trailing in 15th and 16th when the red flagged intervened. The delay came to their aid as they both made it into the top 10, although with Grosjean spinning late on into the gravel, there was a suggestion Alonso made Q3 with a hot lap under waved yellows.
The weather took an early toll on the day when furious fans were left stranded in traffic jams and wading through muddy car parks. Many car parking spaces were unusable after heavy rainfall and the remainder were full by 9am.
By the start of Q2, rain that began at the start of the opening practice session had turned torrential and the session was red flagged just after the midway point. An hour and a half passed before racing resumed.
Alonso said after claiming his 21st career pole: "The conditions were tricky for everyone. You have to be calm in some difficult moments. To complete a lap in these conditions was difficult, but I'm happy with pole for the first time in two years for Ferrari."
However, he added: "If it is wet or changeable conditions like we have had this weekend, grid positions are not really important as if it rains and starts drying out, some guys near the back who have nothing to lose can change tyres and maybe make up some places."
Alonso dedicated his pole position to his fellow Spaniard Maria de Villota as the Marussia test driver continues to recover from the injuries she sustained in a crash. De Villota lost her right eye after hitting the tailgate of a service truck at Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire.
Alonso said: "Yes [this pole position is for Maria], she is having some difficult moments, her family as well. Anything we do this weekend is for her and hopefully we can give strength to her and her family. We wish her a very good recovery."
Button had a nightmare afternoon, failing to make the cut from Q1, after being unable to get his front tyres to work. He said: "I could not get any heat on the front tyres. I felt it straight out of the pits. It is the story of my year, so I am not too upset. I know I can drive a car in the wet."
Schumacher praised the efforts of the Silverstone marshals for the job they did in clearing the track after the mid-session deluge, and thanked the fans for their patience. The German said: "A compliment to all the marshals. They managed to get the track in good shape with all the sweeping and drying up.
"There was no standing water when we went out again and that was a good job. In case of heavy rain tomorrow I hope they will be ready again. Applause to all the fans who remained with us."
Silverstone said they hoped to avoid further disruption for fans today and promised to "accommodate all ticket holders". Managing director Richard Phillips said: "It's going be a bit of a challenge, but we are going to do our best."
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