The Belgian Grand Prix - Qualifying Formula 1

obstacles. Dealing with expectation. Seizing an opportunity. Learning to

accept defeat. Two weeks in the City, they gave us everything.

Everything this sport gives you in just one afternoon here in the

country. What a year of sport it has been,

and that is before we get down to the season defining final few races

of this Formula One season. Welcome to live coverage of qualifying for

the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix. I'd you ready? We now have nine races

in the next 13 weeks. It will be more bizarre than the Paul King on

the wings, it will be an exciting end. We have been dished up an

amazing first part of the season. If it comes close in the second

part, we are in for a hectic season. The stock was not enough for some

fans, my Twitter FT says, I want Formula One back on my TV! What a

great place to stop the second half of the season. That is the corner

they talk about, a Eau Rouge. Five weeks is such a longer break. We

had a washout in free practice, it will make it a great qualifying

session. It has been the longest break since 1999. This is what they

were treated to yesterday, it was so wet. It is the hardest of the

hard core that could turn up yesterday. I locked myself away in

a heated room, because it was freezing it, and the weather was

shocking. Bring back a few memories? We have had wet races in

the past. These cars are not designed for those conditions, lots

of people having incidents. Nobody really set a time. We are bathed in

sunlight now, but it is freezing. These two know what can happen here

when the weather gets angry. Who was that? David Coulthard.

David Coulthard into the war. They will have to stop the race. This is

the worst start for a Grand Prix that I have ever seen in the hall

of my life. Go! Eddie Irvine comes up the left. Damon Hill gets ahead

of everybody. Michael Schumacher going around the outside. Oh, God!

Michael Schumacher hits David Coulthard, and he is out of the

Belgian Grand Prix. He is storming down the pit lane, look at him. He

is going to David Coulthard, he will have it out with him. Damon

Hill wins in Belgium. Fantastic! What an unbelievable race! Eddie

Jordan at last, after all of his efforts, he sees its rig, and he is

now one of the top five. All of these years later, he was

still jumping up and down with excitement! Have you thanked David

for that? I can do so officially now! He keeps asking for money!

always tell us the money comes for the constructors! You can never get

money out of him! A great way to start this programme. Let's bring

you up to date, the next nine races will have to go some to match the

first 11. One of the most unpredictable and

varied starts to any Formula One season began in Australia, although

Jenson Button's victory gave few clues to the dramas that were about

to unfold. He became the early leader, but rain in Malaysia turned

the tables on McLaren, and took them in favour of Fernando Alonso,

who fended off Sergio Perez to become the surprise points leader

after two events. Normality did not resume in China, Nico Rosberg took

his first ever victory. Tyre performance was crucial, and

finding the sweet spot proved to be a major challenge. Kimi Raikkonen

dropped from second to 14th. Consistency was elusive, and Lewis

Hamilton led the points, despite failing to win a race. Fernando

Alonso was slipping back, he was not amused by Nico Rosberg's

tactics in Bahrain. He could only finish in seventh place, every step

was taken by Sebastian Vettel, despite the attentions of Kimi

Raikkonen. The rev Paul Driver now headed the standings. Barcelona

proved a turning-point for Ferrari, changes to the car added a new

lease of life to Fernando Alonso's hopes. He was beaten to victory by

the shock result of the season, Pastor Maldonado na Mark Williams'

first victory in nearly eight years, after managing his tyres. He failed

to impress in Monaco, a race that belonged to Mark Webber. He had

total control, unlike Jenson Button, frustrated in his attempts to pass

Heikki Kovalainen, and suffering a mystifying loss of form. Every race

had seen a different winner, and the trend continued in Canada,

Lewis Hamilton past Fernando Alonso. McLaren went for two stops. Ferrari

paid the price, as Fernando Alonso slipped to fifth place. Lewis

Hamilton made it seven winners in seven races, and he narrowly held

sway in the championship. Sebastian Vettel was likely to be the one to

end that trend, as he sprinted away in Valencia, that a then on finish

cost him dear, especially as Fernando Alonso fought his way

through the pack. For Lewis Hamilton, the race ended in more

dramatic fashion. Saw the Stones or Fernando Alonso continue to run at

the front, but ultimately, he could not fend off Mark Webber, and his

second win of the season pots him firmly in second place in the

championship. The British Grand Prix marks a low point for McLaren,

only eight place and tenth place, and both drivers were desperate for

upgrades. They arrived in time to Germany, but Fernando Alonso Bostel

the man to beat, while the tussle for second place was between Mark

Webber and Jenson Button. -- Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button.

In Hungary, and Eau Rouge used the upgrades to fend off the Lotus of

Kimi Raikkonen. Fernando Alonso lacked a frontline pace, but he

maintained his record of scoring at every Grand Prix this year.

Fernando Alonso arrives here with a 40 point lead, but no sign of

dominating every event. Behind him, only eight points separate second

place from fifth place, and there are 225 available. This season

shows no signs of settling down. That is good news for every driver

chasing Fernando Alonso. 40 points might feel like a nice cushion, but

they will not rest on their laurels, because two wins, the gap is gone.

We have already understood, Fernando Alonso is perturbed about

the state of his car, he does not believe it is as quick as his

rivals, so there is the answer, it could be a titanic battle. We have

seen some unfamiliar faces at the front this season, but some

familiar faces towards the back of the pack. As things stand, HRT,

Marussia and Caterham have no points on the board. For people

looking at this from the outside, they will see your best finish a

couple of years ago, 12 place, then 30th place, it is hard to see the

progression. -- 13th place. It is hard to see on a race by race basis.

If you take the 2010 and 2011 seasons and it looked at our

position relative to the front, it was quite similar. People might

think that 2011 was better, but 2012 is better, and consistently so.

It does not look as though there is a lot of progress, and it

frustrates us, but there is progress, and we have to keep our

heads down and keep pushing. Let's suppose I am Heikki Kovalainen, I

have the possibility of going to Ferrari next year, what will you

say to me to convince me to stay? That is a fantastic question, thank

you very much! We have to be realistic. If people get

opportunities that represent a magnitude step forward, we have to

be realistic. What we have to do, we recognise what we need to do to

make progress, whether that is facilities or people, we are

investing, and it takes time. There is no magic. He is close enough to

us to understand what we are trying to do, and to recognise the

positive, but it will take a little time. We hope you make the progress.

To this weekend, does the fact that yesterday was a washout, nobody has

had any remained, does that help a small team like yourself, or does

it handicap here? I suspect it is probably easier -- meter. As was

publicised, we put an update on the car at Silverstone, and we have not

seen the benefits that we wanted yet. That is because the area we

are working on is difficult to model. A lot of the work we do it

is evaluating things on the circuit. Most of the Fridays since

Silverstone have been a washout, and that is when we try to do our

evaluation. Yesterday, we suffered, and some of the things we would

have liked to evaluate, once you are down to one session, we do not

have the opportunity. Before we leave you, give us an idea of way

you expect to be today. I honestly think that they will be no

substantial change from what we have seen in the last couple of

races. Being realistic, there is no reason to believe that will be the

case. Good luck this weekend, we are expecting no rain. Correct.

Hallelujah! Let's turn our attention to the guys in the

midfield, not fighting for the championship, but it is even more

competitive, because one thousandth and lows as far as the Silver

Arrows are concerned. Nico Rosberg got his first victory in China, but

podiums have been more difficult to come by since then, and winning has

not been repeated so far. Michael Schumacher has struggled to the

chequered flag after both technical and driver errors. Out of the 11

races so far, he has finished less than half. The highlight of his

season was his return to the podium in Valencia, and a pole position

for Monaco, although a penalty meant he could never line-up at the

front of the grid on race day. That sums up Mercedes' season. Sauber

have been a revelation this season, and they were quick from the off,

getting 12 points on the first race. In Malaysia, Sergio Perez came

close to getting his first victory, although pressure meant he had to

settle for second place. It was still a stunning result, and their

first podium since 2003. Kamui Kobayashi finished it in fifth

place in Spain, but a podium in Canada showed they are not one race

wonders. After their worst ever season last year, Williams bounced

back in race one, Pastor Maldonado was so close to an impressive

result in Australia, but he threw it away whilst trying to pass

Fernando Alonso. Barcelona was where it came together. He started

from pole position after Lewis Hamilton was stripped of his

fastest time on Saturday night due to a fuel irregularity. Pastor

Maldonado took his first victory in his Formula One career. But he has

not scored a single point since then, and he has been in too many

confrontations for many drivers' liking. They have relied on a drip-

feed of points from Bruno Senna, but they need to prove that they

resort in Spain was not just a able to show their talents this

year's - this season. They've been struggling to keep up. Paul di

Resta has scored 27 points and matched his career-best finish with

Essex in Bahrain, but he hasn't scored points in the last three

years. The team's best result of the season came from Hulkenberg,

who was 5th in Valencia, but that has been the high alert other

difficult and disappointing season for Force India. -- highlight.

Toro Rosso brought in two new drivers with big reputations. It

look like they could deliver. But the last points they scored were in

Malaysia. Daniel Riccardo had a great weekend at his home Grand

Prix after finishing 9th. It was only one race and two points, but

things were looking promising. In Malaysia it was the turn of the

Jean-Eric Vergne to bring back the goods. In only his second Formula

One race, he scored four points, but since then the scoring has

ground to a halt. Inconsistent qualifying and race results have

meant that despite mixing it up, nothing more has been achieved.

They'll be disappointed with how things have gone after so much

early promise. It has been tough for Toro Rosso.

We shot out of the pit lane and made our way to the paddock. We

will speak to Paul di Resta. Favourite East struggled, Force

India, because the main issue is that both Williams and Sauber have

taken a huge step forward. The reason Williams have picked up so

many. His Maldonado winning a race a few weeks ago. David is with

Pastor Maldonado. It is fair to say you have had a roller-coaster

season. Start of the year, running close to the points in Australia,

dropping the car in the last lap. That amazing victory in Barcelona.

Where are you after the five-week break in your head? It has been a

very difficult season, especially with ups and downs. Not very

consistent. But the important thing is that the car is there, it is

consistent. We've been in the top 10 in many of the races. This is

quite positive. If we look at last year's car, that is very positive.

The team spirit is quite high so we are very optimistic to push hard in

the second half of the season. We need to recover some point but we

lost in the past and here we are, trying to do our best, trying to

push to the maximum. There's no question that you are exciting to

watch. Have you got any second plan for the second half of the year to

help you get those points? We reflect on some of the races you've

had, is there a change of approach that you can do with the team or do

you just continue the process? sure, you learn from your mistakes.

We've made a couple of mistakes this year. At the same time, I've

been involved in so many things, but looking forward always, trying

to learn from the mistakes. VAT will be an important second part of

the season. We have a good car, we need to recover some points. The

approach will be more or less the same, but more on the attack, maybe.

Enjoy what is a fantastic race track. Best of luck in qualifying.

Thank you. From one driver to another, Paul di Resta is with us.

You've matched your entire points total from 2011, how would you

assess the first half of the season? I think we should be quite

satisfied. But you always want more. Of course! We need a power game

because the guys around us have done a bit of a better job. There's

a lot of work to do with the up- and- coming races, but it is

achievable based on our performances last year. How do you

dispel... The three last races were poor for you. You are now coming

into the second half of the season. What did you do in the window to

get yourself mentally ready for this? It is nice to have a break

and stay at home. I trained really hard and enjoyed the time. For the

Olympics was on so I had a couple of weeks. That inspires you to do

more training. I've come to Spa it a kilo and a half lighter. That

gives you energy and it brings you into the second half of the season.

Catching up with friends and doing what normal people do. Do you still

think you are in the shop window for a potential bidder teen?

bigger team. I would like to think so. What you do on the track opened

people's eyes and that is what counts. Anything I can do to do

that... Right now I have a job to do with Force India and that is to

score a lot of point. My relationship with them as very

strong and we want to continue our progress. We are furious, we've

turned up 15 stone lighter each and you've turned up lighter! Before we

let you go, give us your ideas about where you are sitting for

qualifying. For people seeing the sunshine, they will think it has

been like this all weekend, but it certainly hasn't. It was a very

busy morning, yesterday was a washout. I'm not too sure. We have

been hovering about tenth place all session. We are relatively content

with where we are, but some people are out of position. Lewers is

behind us and a McLaren should not be behind us. -- Lewis. It is a

long race here. In recent races, you don't get any Friday running

empty going to the weekend completely blind. But so far so

good. Good luck. You are currently looking for a new manager, Eddie is

keen to have a conversation. doesn't need me! His biggest

nightmare all-in-one. Never mind. Thank you. Hope to see you in the

final part of qualifying. Who knows? Perhaps next season we may

be talking to Paul when it comes to the bigger teams. When you discuss

the bigger teams in F1, it is about making the right decisions at the

the Constructors' Championship at the home at, they are ahead of

McLaren, Lotus and Ferrari, but they haven't had it all their own

way. Regulation changes over the winter, playing around with a body

works. But they have come good as well. They really dominated last

year because they make best use of the exhaust diffuser. They tried to

replicate what that did for them and never quite got there. At the

start of the season they were running both cars on different

specifications, trying to get better airflow into the diffuser

area. They haven't got on top of it. Some races it is OK, others it is

not. But they have good drivers and didn't go for a step nose at the

start of the year and you questioned that. They started the

season strongly, went through a dip but came back strongly. I still

think the concept of their car is not as good as they could have been,

but they have executed what they have got really well. They started

with a higher knows, but they still don't have a high chassis to allow

more air flow through. For side pods and Coke bottle area they had

for Germany got more downforce out of the car. They are very, very

strong, they definitely have the quickest car in the pit lane.

Lotus was a car you like straight away. I remember you commenting on

it. It is fast in the races, but not always in qualifying. Yes. It

is one of those cars were if you look at it long enough, you can see

it is good to drive. Drivers love it. In qualifying, it doesn't just

make the best use of the tyres. But in race conditions, it isn't much

better and the tyres last longer. The races are still being one --

won from the start so they have to get better in qualifying. Ferrari,

there seems to have been a huge turnaround. They struggled in the

testing, and then suddenly Alonso was leading the championship.

the thing about having a bad car at the start is you have to dig deep.

You have to research a lot of stuff and you learn more about the car.

They learned how to make their car work because they had to dig deep

for top of you get the tyres working well. Alonso and delight

this challenge. It is a new challenge, winning from fifth or

6th on the grid. They are making the best of what they've got. So I

don't think they are as quick as the rest yet. But whether they will

get better in the latter part of the season, I don't know. Finally,

the Pirelli tyres. Has anybody got a handle on what to do with them?

It is difficult. Tyres have always been a problem. The four bits of

black rubber that Kinnock used to the ground. But the Pirellis have

got a smaller working window, they need to be above and below a

certain temperature to work well. That depends on the balance of the

car. It is still the car that is really important to make the tyres

worked. Red Bull lead the Constructors' Championship at the

moment. It is so close because Lotus are run 192 and Ferrari on

189. A ensure the Constructors'

Championship makes happy reading for at Christian Horner. We know we

your garages because loud music comes from it. Is this your choice

of music as Mike I have nothing to do with it! I don't think it would

be on your iPod. I don't think so either. Led to talk about your

season so far. A half-term report. You lead the way in the

championship for the constructors, but in terms of the last couple of

races, you've not been as quick. How do you assess where you are at?

It has been a tough year so far. We have a 53 point leader the

Constructors' Championship. Both of our drivers are separated by two

points. Second and third in the Drivers' Championship. We have to

hunt down Fernando. Nine races where we have to keep attacking.

Where has your form gone since the British Grand Prix? That was an

amazing result for the team and since then you have slipped a bit.

We finished second in Hockenheim. Unfortunately that was taken away

from set. Hungary was a difficult race, it wasn't our most

competitive race in 2011 either. Hopefully after the summer break

everybody has come back refreshed and we can have a strong second

half of the year. I've got to ask UKIP about the parameters around

the money in the constructors. The difference between finishing first

and second, does that make a big difference to your budget for next

year? Probably about the same as your salary! Non on the BBC!

There's a reasonable difference. That is why to the teams, the

Constructors' Championship is vitally important. The way the

money is distributed is weighted towards for performance --

performance. You need to stay where you are. Thank you. Give us an

exciting race weekend and turn the music down! A not your choice!

done! Nice to see you. If you are wondering where David is, he is a

couple of garages away with Martin Whitmarsh. Martin is going to

appear in shot. Thank you for your time. Sun shining in Spa. I did a

quick interview with Pastor Maldonado and said he's had a

roller-coaster season. Your season has a bit -- been a bit roller-

coaster, but without the lows he's experienced. Where are you now?

Coming here, we felt quite confident. Right now we are less

confident after this morning. What we had to do this morning was to a

heavy fuel run and a light fuel run, tyre comparison, you can't do that

in an hour on a long circuit like this. Now we are having to make

decisions about going into qualifying. A bit of spread betting

going on this afternoon. We will have to see how it goes. It is

quite interesting this morning. I imagine it has got a lot of people

thinking about where to go. If you have higher downforce, you can kill

people buy a second in the second sector, but you are vulnerable up

the hills and down the straight. Can you make up enough time with

fat downforce in the middle sector to be up to defend yourself in the

straight? We will see a spread of that. It will be interesting in

qualifying, but even more interesting in the race for top

five weeks ago in Hungary, you were top of the paid him. You are not

sounding very confident right now. How can that be? We are making

decisions unless data than we would like. We are not desperate, but no

one can tell. In this season, it has been a fantastic season for the

fans, but for those in thos in the middle, it has been sweaty on

occasions. You can pretend to be confident and know what you're

doing, but the truth is sometimes with these tyres and challenges,

and it being so competitive,... This morning one second was about

18 places. It is a scary place to be. You can pretend it is all under

control, but actually it is a challenge. Our haven't seen beads

of sweat on your forehead yet. Good but it is shaping up nicely for

qualifying. You heard him say it is a difficult compromises. The Red

Bull is launching itself, they have gone for a fast car down the

straight, which is rare for them. In final practice, Fernando Alonso

was the quickest of all. Plenty been able to say that he won the

last Grand Prix, and his win in Hungary was an important boost,

heading into the break. But he was keen to relax and stay away from

the pressures of the paddock. have not thought about Formula One

for weeks. It has been great. It is the same for all of the team.

is the tactic for winning the championship? I have not figured it

out yet! I have to take it race by race. Sebastian Vettel has spent

some of his break filming a music video with a Canadian R&B star. He

has parked his road car and got back in his Red Bull that gave him

victory here last season. This year, he thinks the victory will be more

difficult. It is hard to know if the cars will be the same. It is

impossible to know what the others will come up with, so we will see.

I hope we can make a step forward. I hope that we find the car works

OK around here. Fernando Alonso is 40 points ahead of his nearest

rival, Mark Webber, but despite that, he still feels he is not in

the best car. In the guise that we have a different, we are clearly

the slowest. We have a points advantage, we have a performance

disadvantage. I do not think we are the favourites. Mark Webber has

been caught up in the Olympics fever, and will use some of his

experiences to spur him on. I was in the stadium for Mo Farah's 5000

metres, one of the best experiences of my life, to experience the crowd,

the guys running, it was better than I thought. I did not realise

it would be that special. This is where it all started for Michael

Schumacher, he made his debut here, he got his first victory, and he is

celebrating his 300th Grand Prix. He was granted the freedom of the

town. It is an honour, an honorary citizen. I am thankful.

That is being called Lost for words. Congratulations on 300 races, and

Jenson Button is gearing up, he said he would have to have 300

races under his belt. Just over a quarter of an hour until he climbs

back into the car and takes it out for a qualifying session. He would

have to prove he has found some form. I am sure you enjoyed not

having Formula One on your TV, because you could take a holiday

and not miss much, but it was not much of their holiday for Jenson

is to raise as much money as we possibly can, but also to enjoy the

day. It is at a very unusual triathlon, because you have

qualification heats in the morning, and the final in the afternoon, and

there is also a wooden spoon race. 8300 metres swim, 8NK bike and a

2.5 km run. These guys find it difficult, because it is flat out,

the hauled away. -- whole way. You do not just race, you support

everybody else. It is a great sport if you are an amateur, because if

you are not great at any discipline, you can still be OK at the

triathlon. It has got more competitive, the brothers in the

Olympics, Alistair Brownlee crossed his line and did the 10 km run in

29.10 sec -- minutes. It is a phenomenal sport, it is getting

more competitive. I have been swimming all my life, I love

cycling, we like getting into the fresh air, I hope to qualify for

the World Championships Ironman one day, but that is in the future.

That is after Formula One. My feet did not go very well this morning.

The swimming was madness. I got into a bit of a mix, there were

five of us fighting for space. But then my chain fell off my bike, so

I had to get off and put The Chain back on. My mechanics were know

where! Could not get my shoes, I ended up driving into the grass

come up the hill. I finished in ninth place. But the final is the

important thing, we do not want to retired from. My missus did her

race before May, she had her wetsuit on, and she said it was so

much better, and I said, I do not have as a wet suit! The race was

still going on. I tried to wear her wetsuit. About 100 metres in, I

could not break. -- breed. The swimming is normally the best part,

but I have to undo the wet seat and stop. I overdid it. I started on

the bike, but I damaged my lungs a bid from the swimming. I thought,

it is not worth it, I have got more important things to look forward

into a couple of weeks. It has been a great day. We wanted to make

something that is different from most travelogues, we wanted to have

a festival vibe. I am happy with what they have done this weekend.

Most importantly, we have raised a lot of money, and next year, we

want to make it bigger and raise more money.

The have decamped back to the paddock. Following on from us, you

can see some World Triathlon action on BBC One, at 2:30pm. No top three

start on the grid for Jenson Button since the Malaysian Grand Prix, the

second race of the year. He needs to do something today if he is

committed get his title charge back on. Yes, most of the winners are

coming from different road. -- coming from the front row. Managing

the tyres is important, but if you are already four or five seconds

behind at the end of the first lap, it is a big effort to win it back

later. There was an interesting quote from Martin Whitmarsh, he

said, we will think about him supporting Lewis Hamilton if he

continues to outperform him, but Jenson Button said, I will only do

that if I am mathematically out of the title race. Will it be his

choice? He says it is his choice, and bearing in mind the way he has

been Broughton, he has been brought in with the approval of Martin

Whitmarsh. But more than anything, he understands the word team player.

If I had him as a team-mate, I could rely on him more than anybody

else. Kimi Raikkonen is another driver making his way to the car.

He arrives here having won four of the last five races. He says this

is his favourite circuit, you think he would be bubbling over with

excitement. But remember, it is have won four of your last five

starts here. What does it feel like to return? It is nice to come back.

It gives you a good race. I have good memories here, I have had some

bad memories also. It is a great place to come. Bo Bruce, people

sometimes fail to see how a state it is -- own Eau Rouge. How

important is it to exit the corner? You can lose a lot of speed. I have

never walked here, it is quite all say this is the circuit that

they like the most. Is it your favourite? Yes, this is an old-

style circuit. In the middle of the forest. It is definitely one of the

nicest ones. Pouhon, degrading is quite severe. It is not as fast as

Bo Bruce, but it is more difficult. You can gain -- you have to do what

a lot of times to get it right. have the memories of David

Coulthard, this incident with Michael Schumacher, resulting in a

swimming first and second place. When he is working with us, he is

squeaky-clean, but you must have a secret about him! Maybe I have! But

if I told you, he would tell a story about me! The final chicane,

it is the scene of the only time that you did not win here in the

last five years, you crashed. a fight with Lewis Hamilton, it

started to rain, and it went wrong and I hit the wall. I'd be feeling

very confident for the weekend? Do you think you can win? We will try.

We have tried in many races this year, but we have not managed to do

read yet. But we will hopefully give ourselves a good chance to win.

If we can do read, it is good, if not, we will try again. I wish you

the best of luck. Let's hope it is five wins and a six.

We find Kimi Raikkonen a fascinating character on the BBC.

Give us an insight into what it is like to work with him. Fascinating!

He is a character, he knows what he wants. That is his main strength,

he basically does what he wants, he does a couple of laps, and that is

it. He is getting the speed of the car on the first lap,... A huge

amount of people thought it was a massive risk, but you have

obviously been justified in your decision. I am happy for the team.

Kit is a big help, after last season's that campaign. The team

was not bad last year and could this year, but we could not build a

good car. It was a surprise that he could recover as fast as a couple

of races. We have noticed you have added this to the pit wall. Can you

make it number for here? 1995, 2005, so give it enough time, 2015!

Sometime in the next three years! That his positivity! Chasing the

world championship, argue delighted that the car has got speed, or

frustrated that you have not won this year? A lot of changes in the

process, and changing both drivers this year. We gambled on Kimi

Raikkonen. It takes time. I am happy to have the consistency, to

fight for the podiums on different tracks. That means, if we keep up

the development rate, we can fight for the victory. You know about the

speed of the other cars, you take as much time to look at them as you

look at yourselves. Helpers educate our audience, they are at home,

what can we expect on the track today? I missed it, with the noise!

What can we expect? Based on this morning, we should be able to

qualify both cars into the top five, which should put us in a position

to fight for the victory. Pole position? Between Fernando Alonso

and Kimi Raikkonen. Good luck today. We will allow you to head off. Time

for qualifying. You can log on to the BBC Sport website or press the

red button to go interactive. A race where David Coulthard and

Eddie Jordan have plenty of history. What will happen today? Time for

another chapter in the greatness of challenging venues in the motor

sport world, Spa-Francorchamps is the perfect venue to restart the F1

season. Qualifying allows the driver has to really go for it on

one of their favourite circuits, nestling in the Ardennes forest in

south-east Belgium. 4.3 miles of sweeping curves, climbs and drops

interspersed with the odd hairpin and tight chicane. That roller-

coaster of a corner, Eau Rouge, which leads into the DRS zone up

towards Les combs. This is a track where a car can be let off the

roads, where every element is tested and where racers can enjoy

the sheer thrill of driving at the limit. Conditions are good. We have

a track temperature of 28 degrees and there should be sufficient to

get the tyres up to temperature. has been for talk of the season,

getting the tyres into the operating window. Pirelli took the

decision to come with a different selection of tyres for this year.

What we have is the option tyre, the medium, which will have the

white side wall. We expect them to qualify on that. Certainly the

small teams. And the harder tyre, which is where if you can hardly

see any writing on the side wall, there should be the slow of the

tyres. The challenge of Spa, they've had limited running, a

washout on Friday, and a hat-trick and then step practised and setting

up into the morning. Martin Whitmarsh does not seem confident

at all. There was very interesting. Indicating they are not quite on

the front foot as they expected to be. There will be a lot of

questions going into the session. Great viewing points around the

track as well. Plenty of space available for top the Exeter Pouhon

is a fabulous place to watch, such a fast corner. -- exit of Pouhon.

It is fantastic. It is the hardest of a hardcore that come to Spa to

watch. Corporate people do not hang out here, a real race fans come

here. A lot of people from the UK have driven over. We met some last

night and they were soaking up the atmosphere. A couple of a hardy

ones came well prepared, wearing sailing clothing, because that will

keep out the water! Our man in the pits needed some water clothing to

keep dry. Gary, what are we looking forward to? Sderot two ways to set

up the cars. Low downforce, higher downforce. The low-down force

should be good for the race, high downforce should be better in

qualifying. On McLaren, we were talking about their lack of

confidence. They've set Button up with low downforce and Hamilton

with high downforce. We will have to wait and see. We have some news

concerning two of the potential front-runners. They have a five

plays gearbox penalty. Mark Webber, who had a problem at the end of the

Hungarian Grand Prix, he's had a change of gearbox when he should

not have had so that the five placed penalty. Nico Rosberg had a

problem this morning. Where Heather he qualifies, and he can go through

the whole sequence, whatever position he ends up with, had five

for the actual potatoes start tomorrow. Normal format of

10. That has proven to be one of the most difficult things to do

this year. Felipe Massa getting ready to come out for Ferrari.

Hamilton getting ready to climb aboard the McLaren to see what he

can do. The last pole position winner was Lewis Hamilton in

Hungary and he went on to take an extremely accomplished victory

around the tight circuit. Very different to what we have here at

Spa with a fast and flowing track. The green light is on at the end of

the pit lane and we get qualifying under way. It looks like we will

see Charles Pic straight onto the circuit. Marisha have brought along

a few update this weekend, including a revised rear wing.

There's been a little chance to test every part. The medium and

hard compound tyres of the tie has been brought by Pirelli this

weekend instead of the soft and the medium. We saw some problems with a

blistering. Gary, last year conditions were very different, it

was very cool. We saw problems with a blistering, but presumably that

will not be a problem this time. Not really. Last year was for soft

tyre. With these long straights, you get a bit more grip on the tyre.

But rarely have opted to go for the medium and hard tyre and play safe

on that. -- a pair rarely have opted. Everything looks OK so far,

but there's not been a lot of running. Michael Schumacher going

into his 300th Grand Prix this weekend. I'm smiling although I

should not be. I take my hat off to him. Gary said, quite a dangerous

think if a tyre explodes. That's an engineer for you! They are not

scared by pushing the boundaries. That is what makes people like Gary

coming up with sympathy and carbon suspension and other things. --

coming up with things like. Do you have a prediction on a lap time

from this Q1 session, Gary? It is quite difficult because we haven't

had a lot of running. Cabaye I lower part of 49 to feel safe.

Maybe a little bit slower, but it depends on the track. The track

should get better quickly. That's right. There's not much rubble on

the track. Last year's pole position is not so relevant because

it was quite damp. Mark Webber was on pole position two years ago.

Incredible confidence from the well after the 100 yards. -- brake.

Nico Rosberg taking a breath and then going for the roller-coaster

ride. Such a fantastic feeling when you go through here. The camera

doesn't do the elevation change Justice. In it is incredible. You

are presented by a wall of tarmac. Great description, that is exactly

what it is. You don't see your exit until you're right in amongst it.

Up to 200 mph just before the braking for the section. Starting

the descent into Rivage. You're watching Nico Rosberg. He was on

pole position in China. One race victory. Mercedes struggling to get

back to that form. He was a nose and early this morning. With that

gearbox issue, he had done virtually no running this morning.

He needs to get out there. I expect he will be fuelled for two to three

laps. He should not be the at risk of not making it through the first

part of qualifying. But as we saw Mark Webber standing casually, I

think I would be in the car. I know it is a 20 minute session but they

would expect to get through, but you get localised weather patterns

here and I'm not sure I would ever truly trust the weather forecast.

Good point. At the moment things are looking OK. Watch him into the

chicane, Rosberg. Pretty clean, no lock-ups. A tiny correction. This

is the drag strip to the line, the end of the lap. 1:51.1. We think

they will need to get a little bit faster than that to be safe. We've

seen a few more cars gone out. Paul di Resta has just gone fastest.

1:50.0. Quite a bit faster than at Rosberg just achieved. This car was

quick this morning, Sergio Perez. Both Saubers seemed competitive.

seems the morning session, they were either focusing purely on

qualifying, running less fuel... Fuel effect will be on the high

side over the three-tenths around here. The biggest effect of the

season around here because of the length of this track. It will give

them well over a 1.2 seconds of speed advantage on the lap time in

qualifying. Let's watch the end of the lap from the young Mexican who

has impressed us a number of times this year. His second full season

of Formula One. Last year he qualified in ninth place at Spa.

Fastest at the moment. Gary, you were talking about 1:49 being the

cut-off point and Perez was straight down there. He was fast

this morning. He did a 48.8 this morning. It is about 1.2, 1.3,

David. It depends on how quickly you are willing to open the arrest

on the 8th corner. You can have 10 or 15 metres where the driver

doesn't have the confidence to press the button. You need

confidence in the back of the car coming out of the corner.

Good point. We saw images of Alonso coming up to the end of the first

sector. Very happy. Locking to Michael Schumacher. Picking up on

what Gary said, we saw Alonso fastest of all. Coming through turn

15, we saw him have a massive sideways moment. That would suggest

he is brave enough to get the Diarrar soap and, even when he's in

it sounds like he has backed off. He saw the traffic ahead and

decided it would cost him. Or maybe Mackie had another issue. He has

definitely backed out of it. He doesn't want to pick up any

penalties for constructing a car, the Caterham. We are with Michael,

not happy on this flat. He is cruising through the section.

Getting well Offline been the exit of 13, allowing one of the slower

cars to pass. He has an amazing record here in terms of victories.

Six victories in the past. With Kimi Raikkonen having won four tine

said, they have won 10 races between them. Michael calls this

his living room. That tells him -- tells us a great deal about the

size of his house! One of the biggest racetracks of the season.

He loves calling it his living room. He is now an honorary citizen of

Spa. Senna had his best qualifying percentage -- performance here last

year. Can he now back that up? He got into Q3 for the first time this

year at the last Grand Prix in Hungary. A very important weekend

for him. He has been lacking been the big result. Then, you have an

update on what Schumacher has been told by his team regarding that

lock up. On the radio, he's been told it was a throttle brake

overlap. It was his error. Managing to catch throttle and brake at the

same time. You would not think they would need to adjust the pedals in

the middle of qualifying! I think he wears size eight shoes so it

should be well in order. Senna has come across for lying 8th fastest.

Where is he going? He get back around La Source. A little replay

of Romain Grosjean in the Lotus. That is at the top of the hill.

Running a little wide. Interestingly, he is back into the

pits as well. He's been told to come back. Massa loses the back end

at 13. That is the corner where Michael Schumacher in a Benetton

is all happening on this very green circuit. No rubber down and

virtually no running. Just an hour this morning. They have had five

weeks off. Do you lose any sharpness? I don't recall ever

having such a big gap. Jake mention 1999 as the last time we had it,

but I think I was probably testing in those days. Lewis Hamilton said

to Ali Mackenzie he has not thought about Formula One before coming to

this weekend, which I find strange. But clearly that Lou Reed -- green

track and the fact this is such it challenging circuit is catching out

a few drivers. Quite a lot of understeer in the car. More than

understeer. He and Lewis Hamilton have gone for different set-ups.

Lewis Hamilton is second fastest. That should be around the safety

point, 1:49.8. Sergio Perez is still quickest. Fernando Alonso is

on a better lap. He has beaten the target. This is a good lap from

Fernando Alonso, he could go to the top of the table. Force India in

fourth place and fifth place. 0.3 slower than Lewis Hamilton in

the middle sector. Lewis Hamilton has gone for the high downforce.

That is where you would expect to read that benefits -- reap the

benefits, in the middle sector. goes across the line the quickest.

Sergio Perez second, Lewis Hamilton third. What has Felipe Massa done.

--? He caught the HRT in the middle. It has cost him time. The HRT was

recovering from his own incident. He was off-line. Not much he could

do in that situation. Unfortunate for Felipe Massa. Lewis Hamilton

has gone fastest in the middle sector. Nice and tidy. It looks

neat and tidy. 0.2 seconds slower than Fernando Alonso. He has made a

mistake in the final sector. Nor 0.5 seconds slower than Fernando

Alonso, in the sector which is about a straight line speed. I do

not see where he could lose that. What is Jenson Button doing? It is

a fantastic corner. Kimi Raikkonen said it was the biggest challenge

on the lap. Then, the medium speed corners. Then, finishing the

challenging little corner, No. 14, and you have to take a breath,

running through it and getting the DRS open as quickly as you can. A

personal best so far in this section. 190 mph. Then, hard on the

brakes. A nice early apex. It is looking like a good lap. That

should see him safely through to Q2. He is on Bahadur tyre. He has not

had to go for the medium compound. Perhaps Martin Whitmarsh will be

feeling happier now, that Jenson Button is fastest and Lewis

Hamilton is the third fastest. Who is not in the top 17? We have not

seen a lap yet from Sebastian Vettel or Mark Webber or Kimi

Raikkonen. Kimi Raikkonen has just set the fastest middle sector of

anybody. He is definitely on the pace. He loves this circuit. The

Lotus has been very impressive in the morning session. He is looking

like the stronger of the two riders, as he did in Budapest, up until the

last part of qualifying, and Romain Grosjean had an incredible lap.

Mark Webber should have done enough to see him through. Kimi Raikkonen

has conferred, Mark Webber has gone to sixth-placed. Sebastian Vettel

is on the hard compound. Some people are going for the softer

tyre. Felipe Massa, for example. RADIO: That was a really good lap,

you are currently in first place. Romain Grosjean is near you, he has

just left the pit lane. It must be nice for him to hear that, he has

not heard that much recently. Into the last third of the lap for

Sebastian Vettel. He is 0.5 down on Kimi Raikkonen. They should be

enough to get him out of the first part of qualifying. The traffic

will not cost him any time. That will do for now. There has been an

incident involving Pastor Maldonado and Nico Hulkenberg. It is under

investigation for impeding. I do not know who is accused, but those

are the drivers involved. In the drop zone at the moment, Michael

Schumacher, Vitaly Petrov, Timo Glock, Charles Pic, Heikki

Kovalainen, Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan. Nico Rosberg is

only one place out of the drop zone. The Mercedes seems to be struggling.

They might have to go for the softer tyre to enable them to make

it through to Q2. The Williams has been very fast and various circuits

this year. Why then do if they are quick today. He has got a personal

best in the first sector. It is very good indeed. He is going well.

He was adamant that he would not change his approach, but he said

they need to learn from their mistakes. He has speed. Thinking

about Barcelona, he putted on the front row. He inherited pole

position. An incredible light to flood victory. Perhaps that is the

secret, having clear space. He has gone fastest! He is on the softer

tyre. So is Nico Rosberg. He has used it to make sure of going

through into Q2. Talking with Jaime Alguersuari earlier, the Pirelli

test driver, he believes that could be a two 0.8 seconds faster on the

option tyre. This will stop to confirm the gap, because it is only

ever relevant to that day in history, what the track temperature

is. It is currently 26 degrees. The air temperature is 16 degrees. The

engines will be breathing well, they will be getting downforce from

the moisture in the air. Quite a few people are going out on the

out on the set of tyres as well. Yes, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando

Alonso. Fernando Alonso has done 49.4, you would think that would be

sure to keep him in the top 17. Perhaps they want to find out the

balance for Q2. A bit of danger for Felipe Massa, but he has set a very

good first sector, and a personal best in the middle sector. He has

also gone for the softer tyre. He has a outqualify Fernando Alonso

here in the last couple of years. Romain Grosjean is having a scary

moment into one. He committed massive speed. Hard on the power,

he gets it out on the kerb. That is the bravery of youth! Somebody more

experienced would have lifted it out of their earlier, and realised

it was a lost cause, but fair play to him. In the end, instead of

losing a fraction of a second, the latter is aborted. He is currently

in 16th place, so he needs to get around if he can and get another

lap. He has just crossed the line, so Romain Grosjean is all about

this lap, to keep him out of the drop zone. Daniel Ricciardo trying

to stay out of the drop zone. He needs this lap to be a little

better, if he can get into the top 17. He has usually managed to get

into Q2, though he missed out in Hungary. That is great. He is using

the softer tyre. A good effort by the young Australian. Jean-Eric

Vergne, his team-mate, Pete is currently in 12th place, it is his

first visit in a Grand Prix car. Nico Rosberg is still not

comfortable. He has missed it by the margins of a seconder. He was

backed out of it. They have missed the opportunity to run again. He is

out. That is remarkable. Whether the team made a mistake or there

was a radio communication, but he missed getting over the line. No

chance to make it through. He is the surprise scalp of the first

part of qualifying. It does not look as though we will see many

changes behind her. But it is such a long black, you can get a change

long after the chequered flag. Heikki Kovalainen gets ahead of

Vitaly Petrov. Romain Grosjean does not need to finish this, he has

backed out. He was the one that might have been displaced by Nico

Rosberg, but he has just had the message, do not worry. We now know

who will not take part any further in qualifying. Such a shame, it is

such a great track to drive. It is one of those tracks that you want

to do as many laps as possible. They have not had much chance

because of the rain on Friday as well. Michael Schumacher has made

it through, Nico Rosberg has not. He also has a five place grid

penalty. RADIO: Keep pushing. is a replay of what happened

earlier. We now know he did not need to worry about it. The HRT do

link its own thing. His heart it would have been through the roof,

his frustration levels Macs that as well. He has been saved by a Nico

Rosberg's problems. That was a better way for Romain Grosjean,

because you would have expected Nico Rosberg to get out of the drop

zone. The gearbox failure this morning, and now he has failed to

the garage. Informal one, it is not just about bringing in a car that

will be fast, it is about making the right decisions at the right

time. I need to be sure, but it does appear that the team got it

wrong on the timing, they did not give the car and the driver enough

time to get the lap. There was a sigh of relief for Romain Grosjean,

he struggled a bit. If it was not for that mistake by Mercedes, we

would have seen Lotus not making it through. We have seen a lot of cars

slipping and sliding, and we had a lot of rain on Friday. That impacts

on what the circuit is like to drive. When they are on a motorway,

the people at home, it does not matter, but in our case, it is all

about the rubber that is put down beforehand. When it becomes green,

like today, because yesterday the track got washed by the rain, this

has a big effect on these cars. It is important that the people at

home get to do it -- get to understand that. A green racetrack

is really slippery, isn't it? similar to ice, or not so much ice,

but you have got a slippery set of conditions, and you are not sure

why. Charles Pic has pulled out of the garage. Lovely to see you, give

us an idea of how slippery the track was. The track was not easy.

The dream -- team brought some evolution, the car was much faster,

but I was in traffic on the second run. That was just one lap, with

less fuel. It was not possible for me to make my lap. It is a shame,

but now we have to focus on the race and see what we can make on

Sunday. Formula One is a very steep learning curve. Is it anything like

what you thought before? Or is it still have plenty of things to

learn. Of course it's much harder in many things than GP2 and

previous four Millais. But the first part of the season went well

for me say No I have to keep working and continue like that.

What was your main emotion knowing you were about to go into the car

and race around Spa for the first time? The track is great. It is a

shame because I was not able to push and make any lap time. But

that's racing. We have to focus on tomorrow. Good luck, nice to speak

to you. From Charles, currently driving an F1, to a man who knows

what it takes to ride around it in an F1 car. David Coulthard. Every

time you stand up and watch the cars making your way to the grid,

what are your emotions? The fact that this is one of the best

circuits in the world to drive. It is up there with Monte Carlo for a

challenge. When I said about Nico Ros boat taking breath, it is easy

flat now, but it doesn't mean that you don't have to be incredibly

precise with how you position the car. Remarkable track to dry.

there was just a taster, it will be so tight to make it into the top 10

in quality. It is. Q2, this year, has just been

absolutely wonderful. I'm looking forward to it. The green light

comes on at the end of the pit lane. We are into the second session of

qualifying where 17 have to squeeze into 10. Sergio Perez is one of the

first to try to make that happen. He's been fast all weekend. 17 into

10 seems more challenging than getting three in a bed! We will

have a few disappointed drivers. This is going to be challenging for

what we consider to be the top teams. It is all about delivering

the clear lap on a track which is changing, a track that has been

green. We are going to see big steps in de Laet times. It will be

interesting to know what Garrido's projection might be for what they

need to achieve. -- Gary's projection. What do you reckon,

Gary? Fines for the pressure! The track is changing. Most people in

the second section were slower than in the third practice section. It

is strange that the track has got slower. I would not be quality --

comfortable if I were not in the low 49s. You need to do something

like that to make sure you're in the top 10. It depends on making

sure you get the best out of these media and tyres. This first part of

the lap after La ruche, it is a long straight and it is easy

Delooze that tyre temperature. is a tough track on engines as well.

They are on full throttle for a long way up the hill. It is a long

stretch for the engines to be absolutely at full throttle. Full

throttle from Sergio Perez. Usually, they will put new engines in for

this meeting. Something like 70% full throttle round here. It is a

remarkable challenge for the engines. They will be buzzing into

the limiters on the last parts of the straight. When you're in the

rest and only have DRS available from the runt from a Eau Rouge, you

don't want to be under Geert in the This is a steady climb all the way

up to Liz combs. DRS wide-open. -- Les Combes. It is uphill into that

braking zone. McLaren furiously working on the rear wing. Whether

that is just an adjustment on Button's car or whether it is

because they have a DRS issue, we will find out in time. Perez is not

worrying about wings, he is worrying about how he can brake

later, roll the car into the apex with higher speed and get on the

throttle earlier. Making those decisions into that corner, it

happens so fast it is breathtaking. Lovely to see how many people have

got that view looking down over Pouhon. Anyone who has driven on

the road, if you try to focus on something at 70 mph, the scenery is

a blur. You can imagine what it is like at 170 mph on the corners. You

have to focus 50 metres ahead. Once you have picked up the focal point,

you need to look another 50 metres ahead. You can't allow the corner

to come to you or you get disorientated at that speed. Let's

see what Perez does. 1:48.8. A completed an lap so far. We are

looking into the Williams garage. Renault power are looking for their

199th pole position. I wonder if it will happen here. They have

Williams, Red Bull, the best chances. Right now we are with Paul

di Resta. Let's listen to the Blanchmont. A big weekend for him.

It has been an interesting battle between him and Hulkenberg, seen as

the strongest of the young driver pairings. Both looking for their

futures. Appreciative of the opportunity they have. A nice lap

from Paul. Kobayashi has gone through. Mark Webber is looking

like he might be the man most likely to open the scoring. He has

gone quickest in the middle sector. Not much that can go wrong if he

gets his braking right into the chicane. Alonso is on a good lap

behind him as well. Into the last corner comes Mark Webber. Pole

position a couple of years ago here. Key didn't get off the line that

well that year. -- he didn't. 1:48.662. That puts him faster than

Perez. Hulkenberg has just gone fourth ahead of di Resta. A couple

of years ago, Force India had a remarkable pole position we

Fisichella. One thing that is interesting is Mark Webber on a

48.6. If you look at the fastest time from this morning, Alonso did

a 48.5. We can presume from that, as Alonso now does a 48.5, that

what we saw from him this morning... Massa does 49.8. We are safe to

assume that that time from Alonso this morning was absolutely on

qualifying fuel. Their track is a bit warmer right now, but not in

the area you would expect to start seeing diminishing returns or

negative returns in the overall performance. Hamilton starts to

build the speed. It is a good lap. Up by two-tenths on the target of

Alonso. Vettel at the moment in eighth place. Kimi Raikkonen is on

a good lap as well. The battle is to get into the top 10. Massa is

currently 10th. Hamilton outside the top 10 at the moment, but not

for long. That was a sideways moment. That is what you call

oversteer, when you turn into the corner and then turn away. That

will cost you time. Nonetheless, he is fastest. And then Raikkonen goes

faster! Raikkonen was the fastest in the middle sector. Lotus are

going for maximum performance in the main part of the circuit.

Whether that will compromise them in the race remains to be seen, but

we've said if Lotus can qualify well, they would be in a position

to win a Grand Prix. It looks like they're going for it. Lotus's the

other team with a Renault engine. Button on a good lap at the moment.

We are watching Maldonado. Button has just gone fastest of anybody in

the first sector. Maldonado route was six-tenths slower than Button

on the first sector. 15th place. He might be on a used set of tyres at

the moment. He could have a new set of the softer tyres ready for him

in the pits when he comes back next time. We are with Jenson Button. He

heads down towards the tight right. Can then a sweeping right-hander.

Joining what used to be the main road. Purple purple on the timing

screens. He is the fastest man in the first and second sectors. The

track is picking up speed. No sign of any lock-ups in the last chicane.

We don't know if he had any oversteer. Look at that! 1:47.6

from Jenson Button! Massively faster than anybody else so far.

Eight-tenths of a second gained by Jenson Button. Looking back at

Bruno Senna. My goodness! He lost the back end of the car and managed

to hold it. There was a frightening moment for Bruno Senna. Round of

applause, save of the day. At that sort of speed, the driver just

relax and hangs in there. The momentum brought him back around.

His tyres will be destroyed. He should be able to get back into the

pits and get more tyres on. Looking difficult for Bruno to make it

through into the top 10. Maldonado it is down in 16th place for top

Williams not looking like they have form on this track. Vettel is in

tenth place, but this lap isn't going to be any improvement because

he has backed off in the middle sector. Gary, your thoughts on that

lap time Button has just put in? That moves the bar. Yes, brilliant

lap. He did 49.2 on the harder tyre in the first sector of qualifying.

47.8 is about right for the medium tyre. Grosjean has been out and on

his lap time on the harder tyres. He has a bit of time to come.

There's been a mix of old tyres. I think it's still have to unfold.

Alonso's tyres were one-lap old and Hamiltons a bit older. More to come

in the closing seconds. At the moment in the drop zone you have

Michael Schumacher, Paul di Resta, Felipe Massa, Jean-Eric Vergne and

Daniel Riccardo. Toro Rosso would not necessarily expect to get

through to the final part of qualifying, but they will be doing

their utmost. And then Maldonado and Senna. Raikkonen looking very

competitive. Button is now off. RADIO: WE are not going to run at

the moment. At Spa, it is a long lap. If you make that call not to

run, you can't react very quickly because you will not get round in

Tom. You have got two minutes on the timer and you have to get out

because it takes time to get out of the pit lane and get up to speed.

You have to make the decision pretty quickly. If you are not out

of the pit lane in two minutes, you're in trouble. Her we saw the

mechanic of Sebastian Vettel looking at his watch. They've been

given an instruction from the engineer. If you don't hear the

radio call, you must send him. At least two minutes to allow for

traffic. Vettel is currently lying in tenth place. He could be under

pressure from Schumacher, Paul di Resta. I think we will see a little

scurry of activity at the end. Daniel Riccardo on his way in the

Toro Rosso. He and Jean-Eric Vergne, on at stake, which will be quickest.

Jean-Eric Vergne won all three of his Formula Three races here. He

was also very fast in the world series. Daniel Ricardo has driven

an F1 car here in the past. Can interesting contest between the two

of them. I'm sure Jenson Button will be sitting up this part of the

session. Hamilton has come out, as has Alonso. Grosjean is on his way,

as is Schumacher. What has changed everything is the fact that Jenson

Button on a 47.6... Had he not been out of there, there would be a lot

more people feeling comfortable as to what the track might deliver in

terms of lap time. He has blown that out of the water with that

incredible lap. It remains to be seen just how incredible that was.

Was that the lack of all that in these conditions? We will find out

compressing through Eau Rouge. He is in 13th place. Pay has to

deliver the big lap. You could hear the engine and the scraping sounds

from the prank -- from the plant. great and will, if you look at the

rear tyre, but at the gap between the sidewalk and the carbon brake

duct. It shows how much deflection there is in the tyres. A lot of the

suspension travel is actually in the tyre side wall itself. It is a

tall side wall. I do not know why that is, but I know a man who does.

We can ask Gary. He has gone wide. Has he lost a bit in this middle

sector? Gary, a quick comment from you. There has been a lot of talk

about going for the lower-profile tyre. It is one of those situations,

some of the team's fight it because they are under control with what

these tyres do. Half of the Felipe Massa, but he can get

another lap in. This is what counts, this is the next lap. Fernando

Alonso, another fastest first sector. Kimi Raikkonen, an

interesting strategy. He is not that much quicker than the likes of

Lewis Hamilton and Kamui Kobayashi. It is a bit risky. The chequered

flag comes out, so Jean-Eric Vergne does not have any more to give up.

Daniel Ricciardo is still on a lap. That is it for Pastor Maldonado.

That is definitely danger territory. It depends if anybody behind can go

quicker. Nico Hulkenberg is also worrying. Mark Webber is safe. No

problem there. Sergio Perez has a good middle sector, the fastest man

of war. Just coming out of the chicane, running for the line.

brilliant effort from Sergio Perez. That is superb. Now, Sebastian

Vettel about to come over the line. Only 11th place! He has not made it

through to the only part of qualifying! That is a shock, only

once this year has he failed to do that. Michael Schumacher is not in

there. Not quite such a surprise, Mercedes were struggling. Felipe

Massa will not make it either, he has had a slow middle sector, and

he has backed out. We have lost Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa and

Michael Schumacher. We knew it would be tough, and we have lost

the reigning world champion, Sebastian Vettel, from qualifying.

The pole position winner last season. He is out of qualifying

after Q2. Also out, Nico Hulkenberg. That is an achievement for Paul di

Resta. One Force India has made it in, the other one has not. It is

only 0.1 seconds between them, but Paul di Resta makes it in and Nico

Hulkenberg is out. Michael Schumacher's 300th Grand Prix,

still better than previous years. Felipe Massa will not be in the

final part of qualifying. Jean-Eric Vergne will be pleased to have

beaten Daniel Ricciardo. Bruno Senna or in only 70 the place, at a

disappointing qualifying. -- in only 17th place. A big surprise. We

will find out what happened to Sebastian Vettel. Each office

sectors were green. RADIO: You are in 13th place. The cut-off was 48.7,

Sebastian Vettel in 11th place, 48.7. I am sorry, guys. No more in

it. It is interesting. I wonder if he has apologised at any other

point in the year. I tried to get him to apologise to be a few times

and he refused! A different scenario! It is the hardest word! A

great effort from Paul the rest there. Pastor Maldonado, it was

looking like Williams were struggling. Sebastian Vettel will

between them, and knocked out in the second part of qualifying.

Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher also falling out in that session,

which is more expected. But Sebastian Vettel, out in Q2! It is

a follow on from the early part of the season. We are being treated to

more excitement. Most people believe he will be a big contender

for the championship this year, and he has started the second half very

poorly indeed. We will try to find out what happened, as the fans

enjoy the sunshine. It is also worth pointing out Jenson Button's

great lap. He was the fastest, and he was well in front of his team-

mate. A couple of things, we have heard that Lewis Hamilton has a

much more higher downforce. That could help the tries -- tyres.

Jenson Button went for the all-out speed. This is a fantastic lap. He

is right back on the money, where he was in Australia. Qualifying was

damp 12 months ago, but even so, this lap, 0.6 seconds quicker than

the pole position Lapper last year. If Jenson Button was standing next

to us now, he would remind us that it stands for nothing, it is Q3

that is coming your way in a couple of moments that really counts. If

he pours out another performance like that, he might be on pole

position. Nico Rosberg, or he is thinking about is how to make his

way from towards the back of the field to the front, after a nasty

knockout in Q1. It has been a desperate day so far,

how are you feeling? What happened? It is not good. We had the gearbox

this morning, that made it more difficult. Now, communication, it

is mostly my fault. I did not get it right. 18th place. But either

way, it would not have changed all that much, with the five place grid

penalty tomorrow. We need to cook - - McWeeney to do a good strategy

tomorrow. It will be difficult. Somebody said on Twitter, give him

a herd, he will be disappointed. One man who might need one is Bruno

Senna. It was not the result you wanted, but you have impressed the

world with the amazing saved. What is going through your mind?

turned into the corner, and it was to open. Fortunately, I saved the

car. It was at a very high speed. But I did not lose the track

completely. I may have picked up some damage, because I was sideways

over the kerbs. I really struggled with the car. I had a lot of

dancing, so we need to investigate. -- lot of bouncing. How were the

tyres? I imagine they were rambling? I did not lock-up, they

were dead. They overheated heavily, but there was no flat spot. It was

unfortunate. But let's keep our hopes for tomorrow, it is possible

to overtake, and we have a good top speed. We are hoping the sun is

given to be out, so we look forward to do moving through the traffic

tomorrow. That was a remarkable moment. It is so fast, it is hard

to comprehend what is going on. It is just a blur. He does not take

part, but many do. It is time to Q3. It gets under way. They are not

waiting to get out on circuit by any means. Kimi Raikkonen behind

Paul di Resta. They only have 10 minutes, and it is a long lap. They

have got to get on with it, there is no hanging around. Gary, we saw

a great lad from Jenson Button, will we see a time faster than that

for the pole position? It would not surprise me, because the track is

getting better, but there are still a few laps in there. He had the

lower downforce. Sergio Perez as well. Kimi Raikkonen has a higher

downforce for the middle section. It is not all over just yet, but it

was a good lad from Jenson Button. The set-up they have today, there

is nothing they can do to change that for tomorrow. When you start

this session, when the car leaves the pit lane, you are stuck with

that, other than repairs, or a front wing adjustment. If it rains

tomorrow, they can change the calling of the brakes and all the

radiators, but you are stuck with what you start this session with

her. It may be quite a different story to moderate. On like Hungary,

overtaking is definitely in the offing. You can do something about

your qualifying position. Who will be on pole position? Kimi Raikkonen

has a great record of race victories here, but he only has the

one poor position. It is a similar story with Michael Schumacher. He

has won more races here, he has only ever had one poor position, so

it is not necessarily indicating you will when it. But Kimi

Raikkonen would like to have his first pole position since his

comeback. The Lotus could be the car. The pace it has in the middle

sector, the compromise you make, from this long section, 24 seconds,

100% throttle, the DRS wide-open, the car bouncing into the limiter,

and when he gets into this section, this is where the Lotus is to the

left and -- Lotus is delivering the speed. This is a big drop downhill,

and a long hairpin. You drop out, and a fairly straightforward turn,

as you head towards 21. Immediately, you are back on the throttle. Again,

the medium speed, the apex is nice, the hardly lifts battle. -- he

hardly lifts a tall. He uses all of the kerb. He just hangs on for the

ride. The DRS is wide open. The director decides he has had enough!

It is an exciting ride at Spa- Francorchamps, a beautiful place to

watch a former car -- Formula One car in action. It is a good middle

sector. This will be a competitive lap. He is not in that 1:47 emir,

which is what we saw Jenson Button do,... A massive oversteer from

Lewis Hamilton. What goes up must come down, and when you have done

declining after Eau Rouge, that will affect his ability to go

fastest. That is about the same time as he did in Q2. That is a

very good lap again from Jenson Button. Kimi Raikkonen's effort was

only 0.2 faster than Q2. Jenson Button has shown that what he did

O'Neill was special, he has matched that. -- what he did earlier.

Pastor Maldonado has come straight back in, he wants something changed.

Mark Webber has got into the top 10, but he has a gearbox penalty for

the grid tomorrow, so he will have a five place penalty. It means he

could end up behind his team-mate, Sebastian Vettel starting in 11th

place, and Mark Webber will have to make sure he does not end up behind

pretty impressive lap from Perez. The only other man to get under

1:48. He was just over three-tenths slower than Button. They really are

flying, Sauber. A car that seems to work so well in the slightly lower

downforce configuration. Remember how quick Perez was in the closing

stages in Canada. It seems to be aerodynamically efficient, the

Sauber. RADIO: Five-tenths faster than

Raikkonen, also on new tyres. Great lap. Great words of encouragement

for Jenson, who heads back into the pit lane. Jenson Button has never

qualified or been on the grid higher than 5th at Spa. This would

be a huge achievement. He has not had a pole position since 2009.

He's never had one for McLaren. Jenson Button has put down for

marker and he is fastest. Never had a pole position for McLaren. It is

about time. It is going to be very interesting as we get into the last

three-and-a-half minutes of the session. We haven't seen a lap from

Hamilton or any of the other guys from three down to 10. It is all

going to happen in the last few minutes. A scurry of activity to

get clean air. Gary, the track temperature is up to 30 degrees.

Will that have any effect? It will. It gets the tyre working earlier.

Getting the best lap out of the tyres is about not pushing too hard

on the out-lap. The last section is quite a long straight so it is easy

to lose tyre temperature and start the lap with the car too cold.

Track temperature will help overcome that problem. They have

kept Alonso in the pits a long time with the blankets off. It might be

partly psychological. The minute the blankets come off your tyres,

you start to feel a slight difference on the track in the way

they heat up. Was that a slight error from Ferrari? Hamilton has to

go around a car in the pit lane. unusual. He was that? I think it

was Perez. It was indeed. Was Perez trying to find some space? Jenson

Button is doing two runs today. He has been so fast, he has an used up

his tyres. It has allowed him to have two runs in the final part of

qualifying. He is in front of Hamilton. The same machinery as the

man most likely to challenge him for pole position. In an ideal

world he would be behind Hamilton and getting feedback on Hamilton's

sector. If Hamilton can improve on what Jenson has done, he knows he

has to keep Eric -- key going. Now he will do that run blind. He has a

few cars in front of him. Spent so is just in front, Alonso is just in

get any wheelspin. That is quite a challenge coming out of the last

chicane. Suddenly they released KERS and they get an extra 80

hat-trick of pole positions at Spa. Mark Webber will not get pole

position. That five placed penalty will put him back. Kimi Raikkonen...

Currently second to Jenson Button. Flutter through Eau Rouge. No

problem at all through the air. -- flat out. The continuing climb up

in terms of the first sector. -- 31.4. The best in the sector has

been 31.1 by Alonso. Raikkonen already slower than Alonso. Button

has now topped that, 31.15. Button is on track to go even faster.

are on board with Mark Webber. Look how hard he is trying. He is now

enter this fast double apex. So much downforce on the car through

just under two-tenths faster than his previous best. This is not

going to be enough for the fastest lap of this session. And he has the

penalty anyway. Kobayashi has gone second. Another brilliant lap by

Sauber. Let's see what Raikkonen can do. He is not up there, he is

in fourth place. No pole position for him today. Maldonado is also

going well. Let's see what Webber does. Fifth place for him. Jenson

Button is fastest at the moment. Can he go even quicker? He does!

1:47.573. Will that be as naff -- enough for his first ever McLaren

pole position? Hamilton his 7th. Alonso is across the line. Jenson

Button has taken pole position! His first pole position for McLaren-

Mercedes. His first in 16 events. position and it has been a long

time in coming. Maldonado, third place. Kobayashi in second place.

What an amazing line-up we are looking at. Fantastic. Jenson

Button found his form. He had a different wing set up. It has all

come right on the day that matters. No points for today, but the

psychological boost... RADIO: We are on full pay -- pole

since the Second Grand Prix. -- has not qualified. A brilliant effort

by Jenson Button. Let's not forget that Sauber and Williams have

beaten the likes of Red Bull and Lotus and the other McLaren.

There's Kobayashi, his best-ever qualifying performance. Where did

that come from? Incredible. One of the longer slaps on the calendar

and they are just under three- tenths slower than the McLaren. --

longest laps. We spoke to Maldonado end he said we will learn from our

mistakes. This sums up Formula One 2012. We have different teams,

different cars, different drivers, all with a real chance of showing

how fast they are. I thought it might settle down after the break,

I thought the top teams might get their heads around making it work,

but it hasn't happened today. They were hindered by the weather

conditions on Friday. Maldonado has qualified third, showing the form

we saw from him in Spain where he inherited pole position. He has

been fast on a couple of other qualifying occasions this season.

Lewis Hamilton not quite so lucky. This was coming into La Source.

went wide, but that doesn't account for the rest of the time last.

Eighth place for Hamilton. One of his worst qualifying performances

of the year. But McLaren were trying to work out how to set the

cars up. They went to different way with Jenson Button's car. I think

Lewis will be thinking he wished he had gone with what Jenson had.

Jenson Button, celebrate this moment. What a comeback after such

a difficult year. It just started getting better for him before the

break with a second-place finish in Germany. Hungary wasn't so good.

Here he is at Spa, and he has taken pole position. Let's take a look at

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

his penalty. Hamilton will go up to which will push Kovalainen up. De

la Rosa will be pleased about qualifying. Crilly fantastic

qualifying. A completely unpredictable wind up on the grip -

- grid. Never thought we would see that top three. It set things up

for a stunning Grand Prix tomorrow. Use all the Jenson Button flag

flying in the grandstands. -- you saw. So many British fans over here.

This is close to the UK and the support tomorrow for Jenson Button,

his first pole position since Monaco 2009, he will get a mighty

roar at their hairpin. higgledy-piggledy is disease and?

Everyone was one drink if Jenson Button would capture some of that

glory he has had before. He endorses all of the hope he could

ever have dreamt about. This is an amazing day for him. Let's hope he

converts it into a win tomorrow. sums up the season. The fans here

have been treated to not just a higgledy-piggledy season, but a

higgledy-piggledy grid. Cockburn she Seki, it Maldonado third. --

Kobayashi second. This is fantastic. This is everything I've dreamt

about. You've got great depth of talent in the driving make-up at

this championship and that is what is making it so exciting. Great to

see Kobayashi up there because they have been questions about his

future. He hasn't been that farce this season. He will be going out

tomorrow with his eyes on Jenson Button's gearbox. I adore watching

Kobayashi. Any moment where there's a slight chance to overtake, he's

in there. We know Maldonado has had some criticism from other teams. We

want to see if he has learned from that. It measures up into a

potentially brilliant race. flags are flying, the cars will be

flying this time tomorrow and Jenson Button is going to be the

man started on pole position. He's not the only person smiling. Plenty

of people excited, but what about of people excited, but what about

Martin Whitmarsh? Foe set-up changes seemed to pay off. Jenson

did a great lap. He struggled a bit this morning. He just drove with

such a surety through qualifying. So pleased for him. It has been

difficult here for everyone. Not running yesterday, very long laps,

limited time. Jenson has kept calm and done a fantastic job. His first

pole position for McLaren as well. I'm a bit surprised at that but

that is what he said. I'm sure he knows better than I do. Her the

setter with lower downforce should put you in good stead tomorrow.

is a good race set-up. You have to look after the tyres here, of

course. Provided we can look after the tyres, he will be in good shape.

A well done. A smile on his face is because as we approach the end of

this season, nine races to go, Ferrari have the points on the

board, but it is about form and having a fast car at this stage.

Great for McLaren. It is great for McLaren. We must remember that they

have to have their eye on the Constructors' Championship. They

haven't won it since 1999. They probably believe that they can

overhaul this gap between themselves and a Ferrari. Ferrari

are looking over their shoulder because they believe they are in a

false position, they are too far ahead for the quality of the car.

Will McLaren be frustrated that they went up with a set up on the

list's father was not working? Lewis is the driver in the box seat

for McLaren. Of course. But these things change so quickly.

Qualifying set-up is totally different to the race because it is

the tyres that have a huge factor in the racing tomorrow. It may be

that a high downforce may give Lewis a longevity in terms of how

he can go along with the tyres. Maybe take one fewer stop. Don't

run up Lewis just yet. This could be a very false qualifying position

He qualified in great place today. Sebastian Vettel qualified in 11th

place. Perhaps he can explain what happened.

Sadly, what a difference a year makes. David Coulthard could not

see any mistakes, what do you put it down to? I was pretty happy with

my lap. It was just not cricket now. -- just not quick enough. If you

miss by such a little amount, it is a shame, but that is racing. It

could go the other way. We will see what we can do tomorrow. There are

no points today, but the race is tomorrow. Were you surprised when

you've heard the news? I was not sure. If I looked at the Times at

the front and the time I did, I knew it was not in first place. I

was quite surprised, it felt all right this morning, but this

afternoon, it did not come together. The latter was clean, there were no

mistakes, but just not quick enough. It sounds like it is just a speed

problem. Mark Webber did not blighted up in the final part.

Everybody is scratching their heads. We talked to Christian Horner, he

is focusing not just on the championship for the drivers, but

also the constructors. The drivers cannot put their finger on it. When

that happens, you have got to tackle a range of different set-ups.

It is a problem for them. Coming into this race, they have not had a

podium since the British Grand Prix. You would have thought that Adrian

Newey could work some magic, but they have almost gone backwards.

The other teams have moved forward. McLaren, where they got that time

from, you have to assume that it is a class act in terms of performance

and speed. Red Bull have gone the other way. They have lost their way.

You would have imagined that Adrian Newey would be able to incorporate

certain things, but they have not materialised. It is far from

perfect for Sebastian Vettel. The pace of the car was 11th place. His

team-mate was slightly quicker. You got the grid penalty for

tomorrow, but how do you feel? Disappointed. We would have liked

to have been further up the grid. It was not quick enough today for a

stiff challenge for the front row. That knocks the penalty around even

more. Now, I am a bit further back. We have to see what we can do

tomorrow. I was pretty happy with my lap. Maximum, fifth-place. But

the left itself, I had some good sections, and some other sections

where a would have liked to have done better. They got the most out

of what we have, which is not enough. Without being disrespectful

to the others, we are back in this world where you have a Sauber in

second place, a Williams in third place. Yes, it is like Formula Ford,

everybody is close together. All of the drivers are driving similar

cars. But then you get big discrepancies between cars and

team-mates. There is a gap at McLaren, and also some other guys,

but overall, we focus on ourselves, we need to keep improving. It is an

interesting Grandpuits tomorrow. We are going to be in the hunt.

He is always honest. He immediately points to the Grand Prix tomorrow,

because if there is anywhere Brady can get through the traffic, it is

here. They have an added problem, they do not seem to have straight-

line speed. What happened? We saw him make the best passing manoeuvre

last year, over Fernando Alonso, it was amazing. You are going into Eau

Rouge flat out. You are going to get past left, right and centre.

That does not give you a great confidence, when you are always

defending. If you are confident, you can attack it. This is a

defence mechanism, and I am really concerned about Red Bull. For all

of those drivers who qualified out of position, the good news is, you

can get through the traffic. One year ago, Michael Schumacher

started at the back, and eventually, he made it through to fit place.

-- fifth place. It has been a difficult day, how

are you feeling? I feel excited, seeing my time. I pulled out more

than we had expected. It was a good lap. I was waiting for the message

that it would be enough, and I was waiting longer and longer, and my