The British Grand Prix: Qualifying Formula 1

Ascot. Lords and golf. And British racing green. There is no

strawberries at Silverstone, no sound of rippled applause. Here,

you get the perfume of petrol. You cover your ears against the shriek

of speed. To be heard you have to roar as a choir 300,000 strong.

What you see sheikhs through the shimmer of fumes, an inferno of

heat or through a spray of heaven opening. This is the bowler of

sport in the mysteries of the British summer. On this stage,

humans drive the drama. But near by, like a satellite of science and

innovation. Cottage industries of the space age, were the cars are

King. This is an ancient land of modern machines. This is the

countryside where the wheel spins at 18,000 revolutions a minute. In

the Racing Green Heart of England, this is Formula One.

And this is the birthplace of Formula One, Silverstone. I don't

think John Hurt could have some of the passion and emotion of this

weekend any better. And for the best Formula One fans in the world,

let's hope the sport can live up to its side of the bargain. Alongside

me his David Coulthard and Eddie Jordan. Eddie, it is a shame when

we come to what we believe is the best race in the calendar, the

headlines have been dominated by the campsites and car parks around.

It is a shame? The real shame is, the drivers and the teams did not

go out on the track as often as they should have. The fans were

cheated. Rain is coming so I don't know what they will expect. Be it

was raining a couple of days ago, but as we can see from these

pictures, it takes more than a bit of rain to put off the fans? In it

does, these are hardcore fans. They are educated and have a great deal

of knowledge of the sport. Eight of the teams in Formula One are based

in the UK, but they support those who are not. I hope they have a

greater weekend. A we will make this show extra-special for those

extra thousands of fans who were told they cannot come here. We are

thinking of you. Here is a man who can hopefully answer some questions,

Richard Phillips, managing director of the circuit. I know it has been

tough at the circuit, but it has been tougher for the fans. After

such wet weather, most people are complaining the circuit was taken

by surprise this weekend, is that fair? To an extent, I guess. We did

have an unprecedented amount of rainfall. On Thursday, the car

parks were sound and we did have provision for extra camping. But we

had a double whammy. We had rain, come sides were close down and

campers had no where to go and they were circulating and stopping in

our traffic. To stop them on a grass car park was not my intention.

It caused the issue where we are today. Hopefully, it is unfortunate

to have to turn people away but at least we have a fighting chance for

tomorrow and a lot of people are here. In the year 2000 the race was

a bit earlier in the year and you had similar problems. The Dean not

think then you would need hardstanding available, having

things available in case they were needed? Park-and-ride is difficult

on a Friday because the parking is used for commercial use. Coaches

are in use as well. Today we have got it, and Samarra is an even

bigger one. It is difficult, and to cover 800 acres in Tarmac or pack -

- plastic is not practical. The water was coming out of the drains

rather than going down it. It is difficult to tell 20,000 people not

to come today, when will the decision be made about what they

should do tomorrow? We will make an announcement early in the afternoon.

A hard weekend, I am sure your staff will continue to work hard.

The fans are working hard as well. We have said they are the best fans

in the weekend, but it is not just Formula One fans, whether it is

waiting in the rain for the Olympic torch, or on the remount, it is a

great British sporting summer. -- I love the Wellington boots, and I

love the T-shirts. Are you all OK despite the rain? It is rare we

come to a racetrack and on a Thursday that there are thousands

of people. And even in the rain in Friday practice, they packed out

the grandstand. We must be very truthful. And their arms and no

better fans in the universe than we get at Silverstone. People take

their holidays, they come camping. Instead of going off to Europe,

they come to Silverstone. Let's hope they continue to do so. If we

look at the calendar, it is hard to pick out a race that has not

disappointed. Silverstone has its work to do. It has, but I don't

think it will disappoint. It invites great racing, we have

changeable conditions. It is the worst nightmare for the drivers in

his build-up to qualifying. We have spoken to a few of the teams who

are saying they don't know how to set the cars of. We have had dry

running and works running. At the moment the rain is starting to come

down. We should get our jackets on, but let's hope so Alveston can live

up to Valencia. -- Silverstone. Lights out and away

we go. Raikkonen gets past Grosjean. past Maldonado. Problems again in

the pits for Hamilton. For front jack fell away. Alonso gets past

him. The here comes a Alonso trying to get past Grosjean for second

place. The he is through! Fernando Alonso is in second place. Hamilton

has managed to get past the locus. Vettel has a problem. That will be

in trouble and Alonso Leeds. The -- Vettel. Grosjean in trouble.

Hamilton is in second. Kimi Raikkonen in the Lotus has gone

into second. It is that the McLaren that has run out of grip. Hamilton

breaks early and Maldonado tries to go around the outside of him.

Hamilton is in the wall. This will allow Michael Schumacher to take

third place. Fernando Alonso is the first repeater winner of 2012. The

first time he has won in Valencia. A fantastic ride from Fernando

Alonso, a tough weekend for Jenson Button. Preparation being put into

his car to make sure when he heads out the qualifying he can deliver

something special. But something that was picked up after the last

race I want to share with you, form is temporary, class is permanent.

This is the podium seven years before that Grand Prix. Do you

recognise the faces? No big surprise, they are all world

champions and great drivers. Class is permanent. Nick Turner

Championship title standing on that podium in Valencia. Probably the

happiest man, probably even more than Fernando Alonso was Michael

Schumacher. He was on the podium for the first time in a long time.

Eddie is with him. We hope to get them in a moment.

Michael, you have been striving for the podium for the last number of

seasons. How exciting was it for you and the team, the result?

was a beautiful moment. Unexpected. It was an interesting last third of

the race, lots of overtaking and action. A message from my engineer

that I wasn't aware of. Seeing all four boys happy and finally tasting

some champagne, it was very good. We all know the weather here at

Silverstone, but we know about the bad times you have had. But also

fantastic times, three victories. Can you get another? The weather

will be a lottery tomorrow. There is an opportunity, and I hope we

grab it. We wish you well. That man is so successful, but has been

relatively unsuccessful at this circuit. But that podium puts into

13th in the Championship. David, seven points was the biggest lead

for anyone going into that race. Alonso now has the 20 point cushion

over Mark Webber? You see where Ferrari were when they launch this

new car. They knew from suspension. Their comeback has been amazing.

Last time out there were problems as far as Red Bull were concerned.

Mark Webber had technical issues and Sebastian Vettel retiring from

the leader of the race. But Red Bull art in the lead of the

Constructors' Championship. There has been many unfortunate headlines

off the track, all but what about on the track? Here is Lee McKenzie.

With a sell-out crowd, the three British drivers will be hoping they

can give the spectators plenty to cheer about. If it is wet, it is

just as wet on the track. On Friday it look like a boat might have been

easier. Lewis Hamilton has a big weekend with hopefully a good

result, followed by carrying the Olympic torch on Monday. I feel

honoured to have been asked to carry the torch for such a huge

event. Such a great sporting year for England. So to be part of that,

I feel very fortunate. Jenson Button has never been on the podium

at Silverstone in his 11th British Grand Prix. He is relying on

upgrades to help his chances this weekend. You always want more but

the guys had done a great job. The way the regulations are, it is

restricted in terms of what you can do to the car. We had a lot to play

with last year, but this year it is different. If you can bring any

upgrades, it is fantastic. Fernando Alonso is still on a high after

Valencia. There were smiles and there was crying. But when he

watched the race back, it wasn't quite how he remembered it. When

you are driving, you don't know exactly how the race is moving and

how the situation is at the back. What a Michael and Webber,

strategies, you understand in the car, only to concentrate. Stewards

were kept busy at the the European Grand Prix which means two drivers

carry a penalty. Jean-Eric Vergne carries a $20,000 fine. And Pastor

Maldonado escapes any penalties this weekend. So was the more

rabbits biggest crowd this weekend with 125,000 people expected on

Sunday. Organisers say contingency plans are in place for the rain, so

even if the weather disappoint the weather was still be great for the

me they are setting the car up for a dry qualifying session. I will

not tell them that it is training at the moment. Let's talk about the

very unfortunate testing accident for the Spanish driver, involved

with the Marussia team. It is fair to say that Formula 1 has been

pretty shocked by this. Yes, it was very bird news when we heard about

Maria, especially in Spain, for her family, but also for Formula 1.

Things like that should not happen. Formula One is very safe, it has

gone through the last years with big development. I know Maria very

well, I know all her family since the old days, they are running a

scholarship for young drivers in Spain. They have always had very

good relationships with motor sport. It is a real shame. She is a great

person. She was the last person to deserve something like that. It is

a real shame, and we hope that she recovers very, very fast. And you

can see the star on the wing mirror, and we have seen Lewis Hamilton

doing the same thing to his helmet. I know you're in touch with the

family, they come from a Spanish racing dynasty - what is the latest

news from the hospital? I went to the hospital yesterday, it was the

minimum thing I could do for the family. I saw her parents. I do not

know much about the situation of Maria, because I'm not sure if

anybody knows much, because the she is in special treatment in hospital.

I think she has had two operations at the moment, she had one

yesterday late afternoon, and I don't know much more than that. She

is in a stable condition, a bit critical, but stable, which is

always important. I think what we all want is that she recovers and

that she is back with us soon. We want her just in one piece. I wish

we were talking about happier news, but thank you very much for coming

down to speak to us. Jaime Alguersuari will be the co-

commentator on Radio 5 Live, as he is for every single Grand Prix. We

send our best wishes to the family of Maria, and a huge thank you to

the staff at Adam Brookes. A lot of pressure this weekend on the Force

India team. They did really well in Valencia, but they have struggled

for points so far this season. What they needed was a visit from our

British Grand Prix for the foreseeable future. I am going to

take you on a walk down memory lane, to visit Force India, the former

home of Jordan Grand Prix. So, Paul di Resta, we have finally drag you

into this. This used to be my office. I always felt we had an

excellent designer. I think if I was your boss now, I would have

sold you by now, because you're going to ask for too much money

next year, I would not want to pay it to you, and I would find juicy

little players like Ferrari or Mercedes to pay me good money for

you, and move on to another young star. What you think about that?

Gladly, you're not my boss at the moment! If you're going to win a

race, do you think you have to move away from Force India to achieve

that? At the moment, I am driving a Force India. I never come into a

weekend thinking that you should not win a race. Why should I think

different? Malaysia showed that you have to believe that anything is

possible. Everything we do before the weekend is going to enable us

to challenge. Putting the effort in now makes a difference. Could you

see yourself winning a race this year? I could see ourselves on the

podium, and we would love to win a race. Sauber should have won a race,

Williams have one a race, Force India has to have that opportunity.

What Department do you work in? Finance. Oh, I love finance. We

used to have options... I cannot imagine the kind of comments that

you will be getting on our show this weekend. You have got very

cocky in your old age. 18 months ago, he would be afraid to say boo,

but now look at him. Just because he has got a few points in the back.

I know the story. The first Jordan car was designed by just three

people, and here is one of those three people. What has changed, why

do you need all these people? And thinking about the money. Because,

as you say, things have technically evolved. In 1991, we designed a

glorified Formula 3,000 car. That is where the technology was in

those days. Now, we are light years ahead. I would have sacked 90% of

the whole lot of you. You are all superfluous, you are not needed,

and we would have done it with 10% of the people chasing -- 10% of the

people! A wonderful walk down memory lane for Eddie Jordan. Paul

di Resta it is with us now. I have got absolutely no idea what you

guys are saying, with all of this noise. A lot of people have been

told not to turn up, obviously, but many of them are here to support us.

We know that you had issues yesterday in free practice, and

today I think they told you that your KERS was broken on the car.

What is the latest? Yes, we have had some issues, we had a KERS

failure pretty early. It is difficult to get a judgment on the

balance. Hopefully we will be in better shape for qualifying. Paul,

we are mid-season now, can you see yourself being at Ferrari or

Mercedes next year? I would love to be in a car which is winning races,

that is the key. But clearly the results from today and the open

coming races will determine that. I am a Force India driver this

weekend. That's what I am thinking about. I'm just going to come in

here, and I think it is great you mentioned the fans, that is

something which is sincere, isn't it? The British fans really have

the support they get here. Yes, I don't think there is many places

like this, where people would turn up under these circumstances. Their

passion for motor racing is something else. Hopefully, the race

will determine why they have made the effort to travel. There are

about 100 cameras trained on Paul at the moment, trying to get a shot

of the man who will be looking to match his sixth place on the grid

last year. We hope you go well. My question was, were you his baby sit

around the garage? Well, he was just telling me that he used to be

the boss. And you did not believe a word of it, did you? You know what,

he is still the boss. Have a good weekend, Paul. I think we should

get to know the fans now, the real stars of the British Grand Prix.

Despite the British weather, our enthusiasm is not dampened. No!

This man must be either Austrian or German. What is with the there.

Macros? Many of us are old enough to remember Woodstock, and this is

reminiscent of that. Looking for a free pint later on, but it is not

going to happen. We are engulfed with gorgeous girls. All of this

does not put you off? No, it is part of coming to Silverstone every

year. They are always there, come rain or shine, as it is Eddie

normally. This is what is going on in the Force India garage, less

than half-an-hour before the start of qualifying. Caterham came in as

Lotus a couple of years ago. Their best finish in 2010 was 12th. In

2011, it was 13th. But this season, they have promised us that this

weekend is the weekend to keep our eyes on the Caterham team. Gary

Anderson has been finding out why. All the teams come to a Grand Prix

with the ambition of improving the performance of the car. Some things

work, some do not, but it is the expectation. Caterham have come

with their package for Silverstone. That is the 2012 car, which they

used in Valencia. This is the same car, updated aerodynamically to try

and improve the performance. have got a new engine cover,

helping the flow to the back of the car, the transition into the

exhaust area is completely new. We have a central exit here. We have

been quite careful on getting a very thin trailing edge. More work

on the diffuser, some new details underneath. We have the new front

wing here, with some enhancements on it as well. And we have some new

bodywork around the front of the side pods, and some nice details on

the car which we have tidied up, which, all together, make quite a

nice improvement. What would you be looking as an improvement? I will

be looking for something like half a second. It will be very difficult

for us to analyse all of that, with the weather looking to be as

changeable as it is. We will probably start off with the new

package on one of the car's only, then hopefully do some analysis and

pick things out, and go forward on was, we did a lot of comparison

work and evaluation of the new pieces, and I am happy to say that

we are transferring all of those over to Vitaly's car, because we

were more than happy with the results that we saw. Lots and lots

of upgrades. Bodywork, exhaust information, thanks. He was about

seventh quickest, you must be really pleased with that. Yes,

clearly, conditions are changeable, so seventh position is I think an

indication that we're going in the right direction.

RADIO: May be the change was not drivers think? To be honest, it is

a very green track to start with. Not having run the package in the

dry before, we improved during the session, but still more work to do.

The back of the car is working really well, we just need to get

the front dialled in. Good luck for the weekend. The thank you very

much. Of course, this is their home Grand

Prix, the race that they have said they are going to be competitive in.

You can see the intricacy of his front wing, the amount of work that

has gone into it. They said, this represents a four or five weeks

work. How much has the sport moved on, Eddie? I am a bit old fashioned,

this should be banned. This is really not Formula 1 in my opinion.

But maybe everybody else has their own view. Do you not think it looks

beautiful? No, it is a mess. The parts are beautifully made, but to

expect a team to spend... You cannot imagine the amount of time

that has been spent in the wind Tunnel, designing it, drawing it,

for me, it is unnecessary, it is not required. What we need is the

racing. This is confusion. disagree, I think it looks lovely.

But the message from Caterham is clear - it is not just, we're going

to be fast this weekend, it is also, Toro Rosso, we are coming to get

from Caterham, how much are you as a team and you as a driver looking

at the teams around do in terms of their development? I just focus on

what I am doing. There are some people in the team scouting and

seeing what is going on. It does not mean much. It they have

something here or there, it is not going to change my performance. It

is best with my experience, just to focus on myself. The you live near

by, you are local from Milton Keynes. You have a better

understanding of the weather than most, is this an opportunity or

would you prefer it to be one or the other? One or the other is nice.

But yesterday we were more competitive in the wet. The rain is

coming down now and I am not too disappointed to see it. As long as

it is constant, everybody wants that rather than a roll of the dice.

Just quickly, you are normally a bit happier, have you had a bit of

a bad session? Now, between P3 and qualifying, it is just a couple of

hours. We have to Lionel -- final tweaks to make for the weekend.

needs to take it seriously, he has not scored any point since

Australia. But some people are just enjoying themselves rather than

take it seriously. House special is it to see that? The fans don't know

when to stop. It is like a, a ball for them. It could be a rock

concert, it could be anything. Every year the fans at Silverstone

surprise us even more. They have three British drivers to cheer

about. It is a magic time for Formula One. One man who loves

racing it is Mark Webber, this place does feel like home. Mainly

because the only lives 25 miles away. -- he only lives.

Let's talk about the season. Watch the speed camera. I am doing 30 mph.

Hopefully you will be going faster on Saturday and Sunday. Valencia

sums up Formula One for you at the moment? He would have thought of

that before the race? The top three on the grid did not score points.

Other people trying to make strategies work and not getting

home on them. Michael and I were able to capitalise. I would have

liked a smoother run here and there but I got a Monaco a victory. I

have a chunk of points to launch into the next part of the

Championship. Silverstone has been a bit prickly the you? We all want

to do well. In 2010, it was well documented I was not happy that

they but I went on to win the Grand Prix.

TEAM RADIO: Can you manage a smile now? Last year, I had the race

called off. TEAM RADIO: You need to maintain

the gap. As a team we have learned. Let's talk about next season, where

do you see yourself driving? It is getting closer to decision time.

There has been some talk between the teams. I am getting closer to

making that decision. Have you been speaking to other teams? There has

been some discussions, yes, but it has been pretty light. Even at Red

Bull, it is not a foregone conclusion yet. I need to keep

performing and that is important also for the teams I would drive

for. That would mean I am motivated and hungry. I had better go and

find some work. Sebastian Vettel said he does not get a say in who

his team mate is at Red Bull. Fernando Alonso said he does get to

save his team mate is at Ferrari? know Fernando Alonso very well. The

dynamics of being team-mates is different. I have never seen any

team mates get on, it does not happen. It all kicks off. They have

come together, what was going on there? We had just seen Mark Webber

making his way over to the back of the garage. Christian Horner, the

team principal is with us. Mark Webber said, I have got to go out

and find some work. That makes it sound like there is no work at Red

Bull for him? That is you interpreting it in a different way.

He is keen to stay with the team, we are happy with his performance.

We will be sitting down in the next few weeks to talk about the future.

You would like him to stay? He has done a great job for us. As usual

we will sit down and go through it over the next few weeks. What I am

holding, this is normally sitting around the driver up here somewhere.

We have had an overwhelming response from the public. Everyone

has paid 15 euros to have faces put on there. You are on their a few

times. Fernando Alonso is riding on the car. It is a great initiative

and raised a lot of money, a million Euros for this charity to

hopefully find a cure for spinal cord damage. Fernando Alonso this

weekend is driving for Ferrari - Red Bull. He is on it and not in it.

What do you expect to go in qualifying? Unlike Wimbledon we

don't have a roof. It is a typical British summer. The Sunshine and

rain. Eddie is about to be arrested. Why are you being arrested? I have

never been arrested by two more beautiful women. Why are you

arresting him? Crimes against fashion. Off he goes down the

paddock. Let's speak to a man who has not committed any crimes

against speed. Lewis Hamilton. As we could not take Hamilton to the

fans, we decided away to take the fans to Hamilton.

We will take a quick pick at Twitter. Get some questions for you.

You were writing so quickly. While we're waiting for the messages to

come in, you have some fans at a primary school near by. We will

ring them. Emma's be nice to know you are inspiring young kids?

never thought people would be looking up to me. Hello. It is

Lewis Hamilton here. ALL: cheering. Hello everyone.

How did you become a racing driver? When I was your age I started in

the go-karting. It started as a hobby and then I got good at it.

Then it turned into a serious hobby and I ended up in Formula One.

do get the class to wish him best wishes for the weekend.

I did not realise you would be in the class with the children.

seven years old, they cannot be in the class of their own.

How opposed would you be on a musical on your life story? Let's

move on. What will the weather do for you?

like it when it has been wet and it goes to dry. That is best for me.

When you win on Sunday, we used stop out on track like Fernando

Alonso? You always get in trouble. You can take the little fine. You

do it, I will pay it. Sounds good. If a snake was eating your right

arm, and a lion was eating your left arm, which one would you stop

first? I think I would hit the line with the snake. Is he contemplating

a move from McLaren next season? have never been in a position or

when my contract has come to an end. This is my first contract which is

coming to an end. You have to understand what you want to do

moving forward. I am happy where I am. Are you getting what you need

from McLaren? They are fantastic. I get their support every year. On a

personal level, they are there for you. The very caring and flexible

on certain things. Life in racing, it is not where you start, it is

where you finish. Thanks for the words of wisdom. I am older than

you, I was six when you were born. One thing about Lewis Hamilton, he

is driving with a smile on his face and that has not always been the

case? He has got confidence. He believes he has turned the tables

on Jenson Button, perhaps. P has got the team behind him. They have

had some little problems, but he does believe he can pull off the

world Championship. Caterham believe they have a car capable of

getting them into the second part of qualifying. They have been

honest and so they think this weekend they will find half a

second improvement at which is a huge amount in Formula One. You

remember the days when you were bringing up graves and thought he

would blow away the rest of the paddock, how exciting is it? Best

upgrades. It is hugely exciting. It flowers all the way through, even

to the sponsors. They can be upbeat about things. You need Updates to

make sure the motivation within the team is successful. There is plenty

of attention, photographers are India, and two of familiar faces

for you? Mark Smith was part of the original Jordan car and he is

technical director at Caterham. you work with John at Jordan?

they have got themselves together, it is a surprise. These new Updates,

can you see yourself getting into the second qualifying? I don't want

to comment specifically about one event. We are making progress.

Updates we have here are significant. You have seen the

weather, in terms of optimising the car around that, we will have to

see what happens in the next hour. John, give us an idea of the

atmosphere? We had a good day out in Valencia, lots of smiles around

the garage getting our driver into Q2. There are plenty of ways in

enjoying qualifying and seeing how Caterham get on. But this is the

way you can enjoy the action. You can ride on board with various cars.

You can go online and press the red button. You can ride on board with

your chosen driver. There has been some dramatic action so far this

weekend. It is an upgrade, you can enjoy all the action on your mobile

phone. On the website, you can keep up-to-date with the latest news.

This is what the BBC play it gives you. You can run wind, you can

choose chapters. We are hoping, gentlemen, best of luck Caterham

can do the business. You have worked so hard. You are all very

excited and we don't want to mention it too much, it would teach

Eddie a thing or two. He has described his team as the biggest

disappointment in Formula One this season. It is time for the first

part of qualifying. Let's see how it all unfolds with David and then.

Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, the British Grand

Prix, at Silverstone. This year, it is the 9th race in the calendar. We

are in the heart of the British countryside, and in the heart of

the season, where the nitty-gritty of point-scoring could well

determine the outcome of the Championship. We have gone from the

street circuits to one of the faster circuits on the schedule.

Cars are cornering at speeds of 180 miles an hour on some of these

corners. David, you know all too well, it is a fast track.

DAVID COULTHARD: It is indeed. We talk about speeds of 200 miles an

hour at places like Spa and Monza, but that is not what gives the

driver the thrill, it is attacking corners at great speed which does

that, at places like Becketts. Nigel Mansell famously said he was

pulling 12 G through that section. I am not so sure. But nonetheless,

that is what the drivers are looking for, that is what gets

their focus, and that is when the Grand Prix cars really come alive.

We do have light rain, however. It has been dry all morning,

throughout free practice, but right now, it is beginning to fall. Track

temperatures, much lower than they would be at most other circuits.

Our man in the pits, of course, is Gary Anderson. Any rain where you

are at the moment? Yes, it is pretty light, but enough to make

the track really slippery. In conditions like this, you have got

to be on the track, because it will be constantly changing. It will

either be at its best at the start of the session, or at the end of

the session. Either way, you have got to be on the track. Any car

still in the garage, they would be making a mistake. As Gary mentions,

you have got to be out on the track. This is a 20 minute session, so

you're not worried about the fuel. Yes, it is a factor in the wet,

just as much as in the dry, but not as much so. But you want to make

sure that you have got enough fuel on board to do the laps, because it

could just be that one extra lap which makes the difference between

getting into the next part of qualifying, or languishing at the

back. A quick reminder on the Championship points, as you can

see... It is not a huge margin at the top, but by becoming the first

person to win twice this season, Alonso has got a bigger lead than

anyone else has had this year. Lotus, just holding on to that

third place, they were hurt by losing Grosjean from the race in

Valencia. RADIO: The weather is getting worse,

we will go straightaway. We can do five timed laps. That is a good

point, getting down to the end of the pit lane and being one of the

first out on to the circuit is always crucial. It is indeed. These

cars are capable of idling for well over a minute. You can see Paul di

Resta going for it straightaway, on the intermediate tyres. There are

not enough puddles to justify going on the full wet tyres. There will

be a flurry of activity, as we do the countdown, with about 40

seconds to go. Look at the queue, the most expensive traffic jam you

will see anywhere in the world. yes, everybody desperate to get out

and get a clear run. Lewis Hamilton has had a very good record against

his teammate so far this year. He is up to 8-0 at the moment. The

same scoreline between Pedro de la Rosa and Karthikeyan as well.

teams will have had to make a pressure adjustment to take into

account that they will be losing vital temperature from the tyres in

sitting at the end of the pit lane. I suspect they will have allowed

for that. RADIO: We have a problem with KERS,

you have no KERS, we have to do clicks rearward 10 on brake balance.

That will be costing him vital time, around this very long circuit. So,

Kimi Raikkonen already with a handicap. But this first lap that

they do could well be the quickest lap of the session. As I was saying,

they will have put a bit more air pressure into the tyre to maintain

ride height. BEN EDWARDS: Yes, a course,

straightaway, we are on to the intermediate tyre. The full wet

tyre was being used on Friday, but the intermediate is a very good

tyre. That is what all the teams will be out on. That problem with

KERS, the energy recovery system, for Kimi Raikkonen...

RADIO: We need to find ourselves a bit of a gap, we need to keep

pushing at all times. DAVID COULTHARD: It looks like it

is raining much heavier at the back of the circuit, which used to be

the front of the circuit, when the pit lane ran down into Copse.

Kovalainen trying to go round the outside of his teammate, and

running out of road. It is all going to be about trying to find

some clear space. This was pulled a racer for -- this was Paul di Resta

or at Becketts. So, difficult conditions, as they try to get heat

into these tyres. Because of the wet surface, the race control has

deemed that they are not able to use the DRS. It was a failure of

DRS which hurt Mark Webber so much in qualifying last time out, but

this time, none of them are allowed to use that system. Kobayashi did a

lot of laps yesterday in free practice, so he has got a good feel

for the circuit, when it has been raining. He has indeed.

RADIO: Conditions are going to get worse, we need to nail these first

few laps. DAVID COULTHARD: Kobayashi will be

a bit tentative as he tries to get heat in the tyres. In free practice,

he was definitely performing well, but look how gingerly he is going

through Goulding suddenly going through Becketts. Really tricky

conditions for these drivers. This could be the only lap which makes a

difference. When I look at the train of cars, bringing up the rear

will be Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher, so we have got some big

names at the back of this chain of traffic. Kamui Kobayashi qualified

really well here at Silverstone last year. He was eighth on the

grid. That is his initial time, which is faster than they were

doing in the full wet conditions on Friday. On board with Kimi

Raikkonen, and you can see they are Raikkonen, and you can see they are

all bunching up. He almost made contact with his team make there,

who was trying to get past Perez, I think. This is the argy-bargy to

try to find space. He was trying to hold back to get a gap, but

have been like. Hulkenberg has gone fourth. If it is still raining hard,

will they go any quicker than that? Michael Schumacher has just gone

fastest! Although he was later out than many of the others, he has put

a good lap in straightaway, and Fernando Alonso has been pushed

back to fourth. Rosberg has gone second.

RADIO: We need it to be done on the first two laps. Maybe this next lap

will be another chance. Alonso is up on the first section.

GARY ANDERSON: Those guys who went out early, they had been sitting in

the pit lane, losing tyre temperature. Those guys who went

out later, like Michael Schumacher, they kept tyre temperature up. If

it was me, I would have gone out later, that way you can really nail

the tyres while they are still warm. Alonso, David, looking to be on a

good lap. DAVID COULTHARD: I think what Gary

said is absolutely crucial, about maintaining that a budget.

RADIO: Michael, we think four or five minutes of light rain, so the

track will be at its best in these next moments.

BEN EDWARDS: Maldonado has gone second. Remember, seven go out

after this first part of qualifying, that is what we are really looking

at, those who will not make it through. At the moment, Webber and

Vettel are both in the drop zone, would you believe it? Hamilton has

Meanwhile, Button is in the drop zone. Meanwhile, Ricardo is

lighting up the timing screens, and Massa has just gone fastest of all.

They are trying to find their way through these ever-changing

conditions. There is no rain at all up in our commentary box. Look how

visibly wet the track surface is as they go through Copse corner.

Jenson Button, still running in some traffic, he needs to try to

get some clear space. RADIO: The track is drying out.

Make a gap to the front. The track is actually getting drier,

according to Sergio Perez. With more cars going round, that helps

as well. Michael Schumacher down in tenth at the moment. Kobayashi is

fastest in the Sauber. It could be one of those sessions when you just

keep going round and round, and hope that you get the best lap at

the end. DAVID COULTHARD: That's why you

heard to fuel the car for the whole session. Of course, you will get a

weight penalty, but enables you to get as many laps in as possible.

Let's see what Lewis Hamilton does. He was fastest on his previous lap,

Toro Rosso did a lot of laps with both of their drivers in wet

practice on Friday, and it seems to be helping them at the moment, with

both of their drivers being higher up the list then you might have

expected. It is a question for the team, do you compromise your dry

set up, running the risk that if it dries out, you could be struggling?

Toro Rosso have been struggling to deliver performance in the dry this

year, so it makes sense to me that they would say, let's gamble that

we are going to have a wet weekend. The top teams need to try to cover

all bases. They need to split the set-ups, if they can get one of the

drivers to accept haven't a compromise. -- having a compromise.

Hamilton has backed off. So, we are getting part of the story right now.

Look who has gone fastest, Jean- Eric Vergne! Indeed, so, Toro Rosso

have got the car working we have over 10 minutes to go in

this session. Jenson Button is in the drop zone at the moment. He is

looking better. Rosberg was so quick earlier on his in 17th place.

The teams have to assess the conditions. Drivers will have a big

say in this. But sent his 15th. Not as far up as he would have liked.

Maldonado has just done a 1:47. That will play a factor in this

qualifying. Plenty of time to go, over nine minutes. We will find at

soon if the teams have fuelled a long enough to allow the drivers to

stay out there or whether they will have to top up the fuel system.

are on board with Kimi Raikkonen. Gary Anderson, what would be the

transition ragtime where they think we need to put up slicks on?

Usually about 10 to 12 seconds. That would be a 1:43, maybe 44, but

it depends if it is patchy. Only the driver knows which part of the

tracks is really wet. We are not a million miles away from that, nine

seconds to go. Much we will keep an eye on that. David, as Gary was

saying, your decision making process at this time, your feedback

to the team is crucial question mark this is where it needs to be

led from the cockpit. They have weathermen stationed up wins, but

the driver cannot be aware of that. If it is a shared responsibility

during a normal running where there are changing conditions, the driver

has to take responsibility. The team do not know how the tyres are,

is the track to dry to work? All the engineers and decision-makers

are sitting just below us. They cannot judge how slippy the

trackers. Perez has gone fast as for the moment, so you have the

Sauber cars one and two. Mark Webber always goes well at

Silverstone. But he is 17. TEAM RADIO: Do not use DRS. Do not

use DRS. Lewis has not come in and changed his tyres, DRS is disabled

and won't be enabled until the race director give the message. It is

likely were ring he would be distracted to ask that question.

is only about 15 seconds off a dry where the time. We are getting to

that time, but there is some drizzle around. It does look as

though it is raining slightly on that part of the circuit. Another

bit of traffic from the Caterham. Alonso is a winding it up for

another lap. He is not looking too bad at the moment. It is the first

17 who go through this part of qualifying with just over six

minutes to go. Sauber and Caterham both have dry tyres available. The

Sauber making the transition and putting slicks on, I believe. Gary,

is this good timing from Sauber's point of view? They will have to do

these next few laps very carefully. It will get quicker, but it is

about survival. Sergio Perez has also come in, so both Sauber are on

the slicks. TEAM RADIO: Seven minutes to go,

Mark, seven minutes. A little bit of a reign at Maggots and Stoke.

used to have a small clock in my cockpit so I did not have to ask

that. And very cheap and efficient way of not having to trouble

yourself with a radio conversation. Perez and Kobayashi are both going

quickest. It may be a punt for them because they won't go that much

quicker on their intermediate. It is the middle sector through Copse

and Becketts of that look pretty damn. Those slick tyres will lose

temperature so quickly. We talk about the cooling temperatures of

these tyres. Kobayashi is four seconds down on the middle splits

on his slicks. But he has a few laps. If he can keep the heat in

his tyres, he will be OK. If he loses it, it does not matter how

many laps he does. We will lose seven cars in this process. A

Vettel tops the times at the moment. Jenson Button coming around to try

and improve. He is still only 18th and that is a surprise Jenson

Button has not gone quicker as yet. Hamilton is not that much ahead of

him. Coming in 14th place. We are on board with Rosberg, no window

wiper on his visor or on the camera. That is what he is getting up from

the cockpit. He is in 17th place. A little bit of work to be done. He

is on the cusp of the drop zone. Sauber have decided to get back

onto the intermediate tyres, slick experiment and it did not work. Now,

you have to deliver it on the intermediate. Do you put a fresh

set of intermediates on? TEAM RADIO: Paul, background. We

will need an almighty time-lapse. Yes, Paul di Resta is 15th. It is

all going to change in the closing moments of this session. Just

watching Timo Glock heading down the straight. He is in the Marussia.

Good news for those who have been out on the intermediate saw the

whole session. Jean-Eric Vergne has just gone fastest in the middle

sector. It shows the middle sector is drying up. Is it too dry as BC a

power slide from Timo Glock as he runs wide as he comes out of the

last part of Club corner. Is the overheating the intermediate? Is it

blistering on the rear tyres? This is a replay of Jenson Button. It

does not look good. Jean-Eric Vergne has just concluded a his lap

and he has also gone quickest of all in the middle sector. That is

drifting from CROWD GROANS. Jenson Button is still in the drop

zone. He could be in trouble. TEAM RADIO: We need three more

tenths of a second. What about that for pressure. The British Grand

Prix, so far he has not finished higher than fourth place for a

start it he is normally the master of changing conditions. But in this

qualifying session it is all about getting a clear lap, judging

exactly. Paul di Resta is another man who has the pressure on him,

coming in in 15th place. He has not managed to improve on his first

sector. His middle sector has come up Greenwich says it is a personal

best. Will this improve his over all lap time. -- come up green,

which says it is a personal best. big slide from Paul di Resta.

Waterlog, so you have to be careful not to run a wheel over the edge.

Di Resta trying to get himself into that position of a little more

safety. I am not sure it will make a difference. Kimi Raikkonen has

session. Half a minute ago and Jenson Button is on a better lap.

It should see him improve. McKee has got to go on to that time laugh.

He has got to now do the lap when it counts. He has gone over the

line with 20 seconds to go. If he does not get off 18th place, he

will be at the back of the grid. Rosberg is likely to beat one of

the ones to drop out. He is in the pit in 17th place. If Jenson Button

manages to do the lap, Rosberg will be one of the big scalps dropping

out on the first part of qualifying. Jenson Button cannot make a mistake,

maybe use different lines to find the grip. Aim for the dry patches

as much as you can. This is a sacrificial set of intermediate. It

is all about this single lap. If he does it, he goes through to the

next part of qualifying. It is the second longest lap at Silverstone.

It takes a bit of time to get a round. First sector time looking

good, a personal best. Will it get him above Rosberg? It is the target

to the next split. He is up and Rosberg time. Somebody is spinning.

It is Timo Glock. The it happened in front of the commentary box, we

have not seen that yet. Be looked like he'd come in contact with the

wall. The yellow flags should allow Jenson Button to get to the line.

But in out of the last corner - who will he get himself up? No, he is

still 18th! He has not got through to Q2. Did he have to back off on

Club corner? It is normal the ozone well-staffed before the incident.

The marshalling system is not a equidistant between those zones.

The yellow flag has been weighed just at the exit of Club corner. --

waved. My gut feeling is, it might have been worth a punt going for it

and then talk to the stewards afterwards. Timo Glock spins off

his rear tyres. He goes on to a green painted surface, it is not

grass. By the time he realises, it has gone too far. They sigh of

relief from Marussia, he did not make contact with the walls. Those

front wings are expensive. Coasting round now, one of the heroes. But

Jenson Button is out. Petrov and Kovalainen.

TEAM RADIO: I am afraid we are out. It is amazing how much more grip I

had on this tier. So the woes continue for Jenson Button. This is

not a circuit he has excelled. His best result has been forced. He

will be very disappointed and Nico Rosberg showing a bit of pace out

there at times. We are joined by Vitaly Petrov. Caterham were

desperately hoping both the cars would make it through to the second

part of qualifying on pure pace. But Petrov has a qualified his

team-mate for the second time this season. You must be pleased with

your performance? First time I have managed to beat my team-mate. The

package is working. Been looks like the team is getting positive. I

know conditions were not fantastic, but everyone was on the same. It

was very difficult to drive. The tyres are getting better, so you do

not know how much you can push. Talking about tyres, did you think

this is the time for slick tyres? think you know more than me. Every

second lap my engineer asked me if we were ready to push the dry tyre.

I said we were not ready. We took the right decision to put two sets

of intermediate Bostock that they are working very well. I managed to

continue and go quicker. Congratulations for your qualifying.

Give us an idea of how much conversation there was going on in

the cockpit. Are you pretty much in I have to ask him not to talk to me

too much. Sometimes he disturbs me when I go into the fast corner. But

this time we did have a lot of discussions about which tyres we

wanted to use. It was all during the fastest lap. Congratulations,

we will let you face the rest of the media. Thanks for letting us

into your garage. I want to speak to John he spoke to earlier. What

was fascinating for Eddie and I, with six minutes to go you came

over and said we have made a big decision you are going to go slick

on Kovalainen's car. But then you send him out on intermediate. Why

here, and we could see the weather clearly getting worse, so we

thought it was not quite going to work for us. On a different day, we

would have rolled the dice and seeing what happened. But you just

have to look at who got knocked out, it was not easy conditions for

anyone, and we had not really run the new package in these mixed

conditions before. So, unlucky, I would say. How many other teams -

obviously you're monitoring the other cars, your opposition, about

when they changed over that tyres - was that your decision? For us, it

is very much a driver decision, clearly with the engineer, but

ultimately the driver. They have the best field, they are the person

out on the track, who understands where the grip is. Heikki was happy

to go for six, but in the end, it was his call. I would say looking

outside the front here, it was probably the right one.

absolutely was, because we can see the rain coming down now. Thank you

very much for joining us. You will know from experience, Eddie, how

difficult it is to make these kind of conditions. We have seen wet and

dry conditions throughout the weekend. It is now very much wet

for the second part of qualifying. They are all keen to get up there.

BEN EDWARDS: Another queue at the end of the pit lane, as the second

part of qualifying gets under way. The teams are not lined up as we

are accustomed to seeing them. Here at Silverstone, you have got that

big wall, and the fans from the grandstand cannot CVs pit garages

at the end, so they decided to put the top teams in the middle.

DAVID COULTHARD: Yes, you get you so used to seeing particular teams

at one particular end of the pit lane. But it does seem that

Silverstone has done so many great things, but the design there of

having the pit lane where you cannot actually see the cars is a

bit of a shame. But they have reacted, which is good. This looks

like it is getting ever wetter. Gary, give us your thoughts. We are

seeing a lot of cars on the full wet, is that the way to go?

GARY ANDERSON: Yes, definitely. They are out on the intermediate,

and they will be finding out that it is very, very wet out there.

Never mind the fast corners, it is on the straights where they will

end up aquaplaning. The full wet tyre manages to move 60 litres of

water per second, as opposed to 20 litres of water a second for the

intermediate. So there is not really much choice. You can see the

rain coming down. DAVID COULTHARD: We saw images of

Jude Law in one of the garages, the concentration on his face, and that

is exactly what the drivers will be doing. You do not get to see too

much of them, of course, but their eyes will be getting that bit wider,

they blew be gripping on the steering wheel a bit tighter, and

that is the reason why that corner, turn three, is not a corner in the

dry, but in the wet, it is a major event. Jean-Eric Vergne, everything

just titans. We see the Ferrari coming in, the intermediate coming

off, the full wets going on. Meanwhile, the Toro Rosso of Jean-

Eric Vergne, one of the first out on circuit. They have had the

advantage of being out nice and early. Both of their drivers did

lots of laps yesterday. They were impressed with some of the times

that Ricardo was doing. And all of those laps could work out for them

today, as both Daniel Ricardo and Jean-Eric Vergne have been doing

well so far. But just look how the car is twitching. If you just hit

that puddle slightly differently, it will go flying off. This is just

where we saw Senna going off yesterday. And there is another big

puddle just done here on the approach to Stowe.

DAVID COULTHARD: Yes, the standing water is a feature of Silverstone,

which is a combination of old Tarmac and the new surface. It is

an airfield circuit, but there is undulation, which is where the

water comes across. You can see it on the surface. The driver is

trying to position his car, to get the dry areas. Schumacher is off

somewhere. He was in fifth gear, so we know that it was a fast corner.

He gets into reverse... He is still running, so he can still recover

from this and get back in the hunt. Jean-Eric Vergne is currently

fastest. You're looking at a replay of Jean-Eric Vergne at the moment.

In fact, Perez has just gone quickest. That was a big slide from

Jean-Eric Vergne, and you can see the amount of spray. Conditions

have changed completely since the start. This is coming into Becketts,

Michael had just gone through the first sector. That's him passing

Ortiz the old Club corner. He loses control after touching the kerb,

manages to keep it off the grass, and then, luckily for Michael,

keeps it out of the gravel. He has got more than nine lives when it

comes to avoiding spins and getting back out on the track. Not a

glimmer from Ross Brawn. I thought he had some damage there for a

moment. You can see the aquaplaning, as Michael tries to get the

throttle open. When you get to this level of water on the surface, you

just cannot clear it. You mentioned 60 metres a second are cleared by

the wet tyres, but the issue is the big wooden plank below the surface,

which seals with the water, and it becomes the world's fastest

skateboard. It is like skimming stones. They are talented drivers,

but... There is only so much they can do. This was Michael losing the

rear end, and going across the gravel. He rejoins at the exit of

Club. Gary, a quick word from you in terms of the set-up on the cars.

With the parc ferme regulations, you're not allowed to make many

changes between qualifying and the race - how many teams will have

looked at the forecast for tomorrow and gone for a wet set-up? Oh, and

Alonso on the hangar straight! goodness, he just keeps it away

from the wall. That's exactly where Senna lost it yesterday. As you say,

Ben, great recovery from Alonso, but you just cannot judge the

moment when you're going to start skimming across the surface. He

knows he is heading towards the tyres, so he lifts off the brake.

Anyone who has ever done any advanced driving on a skid-pan, you

get your foot off the brake. You have to find the grip that is

available. And this is Schumacher off the track again, down at Stowe

corner. He was known as the rain master in the past. Definitely

difficult conditions for the drivers. And Alonso, rain master

earlier this year in malacia. -- in Malaysia. Fernando on the

radio, calling for a red flag. What are your thoughts, Gary? Everybody

has been out since the start, I don't think that they need to put a

red flag out. It is not too bad at the moment. There are puddles, but

you know where they are. The wet tyres are 10mm bigger in diameter,

so it does raise the front of the car. I respect your point of view

that the conditions are not too bad, but I am standing here perspiring

in the commentary box, because I can feel what it is like Wendy's

cars go, especially on a high speed circuit like Silverstone.

RADIO: the Sauber was dead slow in the last corner. You have got

Kobayashi just behind you, he could be trying to set a time to lap.

As they continue their conversation, Hamilton is second, so he is in

good shape. In the drop zone, we have got Maldonado and di Resta

among others. That's Massa. That's scary, because they are travelling

so fast. It is bread flag, so the session has been stopped. That's an

interesting situation, stopping the qualifying. Presumably it is just

due to the conditions. We have not seen any other major off from

seen any other major off from anyone. One point, you will

remember Ferrari went out on the intermediate first of all, and then

switched to the full wets, but that is not looking like such a good

choice now. They will have to do their laps later on, when it could

be wetter. Indeed, but you can only confirm the mistake in the fullness

of time, and you have got to believe in your convictions, and it

felt like the right decision for them at the time. It is easy for us

now to say, what were they playing at? You have got to cover your

bases in the transitional weather conditions as a team. Sometimes it

is difficult to get the two drivers to agree, because one will always

feel that he is being compromised. So, the clock has stopped, with

just over six minutes to go. It does not look like there is any

sign of this rain passing. It looks like pretty much blanket cloud to

me. We can see the helicopter up there, so at least it is not low

cloud. The clock has stopped, so we should get it started again,

although when is a bit of a question. Senna, having not done a

time at all in this session, for some reason, whereas Hamilton is

second-fastest. At the moment, without any cars going round, the

standing water will be gathering even more. You can see charming

waiting on the left -- you can see Charlie Whiting on the left, he has

got the ultimate decision. GARY ANDERSON: I think the red flag

is wrong. We have a 15 minute practice session, and it is about

making decisions in that 15 minutes, the best decision that you as a

team can make. Ferrari made the wrong decision, going out and

intermediates. I would never have made that decision on the

conditions that I can see from the pit lane. So, in reality, they made

the wrong decision and paid the price. So what happens now is, we

wait for six minutes and 19 seconds, and the guys who went out and got

the decision right, all of those guys, waste of time. Because now,

you can wait for the track to get better, the Red flag will be taken

away, the track may be faster. So, it is not really what it should be

about. DAVID COULTHARD: Yes, so you just

think that it deprives those who made the right decision of having

the just reward? Yes, but the end of the pit lane is always open, if

you do not want to drive around, you can just come in. You do not

need a red flag. It is up to you, to decide whether you can beat that

time. A discussion point indeed. We have an interrupted qualifying here

at Silverstone. JAKE HUMPHREY: That's the opinion

of Gary Anderson, the kind of opinion which I would imagine

people at home are applauding. Everybody who has turned up wants

to see racing, and so do you as well. You can understand Gary's

point of view. You drive to the conditions, and if there happens to

be a lot of rain, then do it. could have almost predicted every

single one of those words, because I am so used to Gary, he is an

absolute expert in this situation. He defied logic many times when we

were working together at Jordan, it always seemed to get the conditions

absolutely right. He is absolutely right. They may even get Ferrari

back into the top 10, and it is wrong. There is no obligation for

them to drive around, and they have been given a second chance, and I

don't think that is right. Charlie Whiting is sitting there,

seeing Fernando Alonso nearly going into the wall, and he is thinking

to himself, I do not want to be in It is equally possible for Fernando

Alonso to park the car up if he believes conditions are not good

enough. He has been given a second chance, whether it is for a Ferrari

favouritism, I do not know. I do not think so because Charlie

Whiting is a very fair person. reason can be FIA give us for

putting qualifying back on and let us sort out the grid for tomorrow?

They may say, conditions are too dangerous. Forget whether it is

inclement or not, it is too dangerous and we are going to

declare qualifying and pole position exactly as it is now. That

is probably in their grasp. It may be the easiest thing to do if

conditions daylight this. In Brazil a couple of years ago, we had a lot

of rain during a qualifying session. There was a red flag, and then they

decided to start the qualifying again and then there was a big

accident. You have to Remember the climate, the ambient temperature in

Brazil is different to what we are witnessing today. You are telling

me. There is little chance the water will dissipate off the track

and I think they should have finished it off in that and then

declared the next session maybe should have been put to one side.

You are not wrong about the temperature, 15 degrees at the

moment. My decision to leave my coat in the office not a good one.

coat in the office not a good one. Let's look at some of those moments,

particularly Michael Schumacher. When Michael Schumacher is

struggling, you know it is difficult. When you see Michael

Schumacher flying off the road and lots of others, and these are

experts, you realise they are absolutely struggling. But, the run

over at Silverstone is a very safe track. It is well designed for that

reason. But conditions mean you have to drive the car to what the

conditions and the car's ability. We are getting a good idea of the

speed. Fernando Alonso, you'll see how hard he is working the wheel.

It is always fascinating to watch the steering wheel. See how hard he

works when he starts to lose control of the car. They are always

remembering, in the FIA office, this is a high-speed circuits. They

are not just tootling around as if they are in Monaco or Abu Dhabi,

they are going extremely fast? they are, and nobody wants an

accident, but you want to see a driver with the skill of Alonso.

Outside of the UK they consider Fernando Alonso being the No 1

driver in Formula One at the moment. And the fact he is leading the

Championship in what is probably not the best car, endorse his that.

He just have to slow the car down and himself down. As much as you

believe this is helping the likes of Fernando Alonso, what does this

do for Sergio Perez. He set a brilliant lap time, got their

strategy straight on, and now they are punished? Maybe we are talking

too soon? I do not see this rain easing off. Maybe the cloud has got

a bit higher and there is some hope. He has done everything possible,

being quickest and he should be allowed to keep it. That is the

point of Gary Anderson. I support that. I think we should say well

done to the thousands of people who not only battled to get in here

today, but have camped overnight in a very wet campsites. There they

are, still sitting in the grandstands. They are the best in

the world and they need to be in weather like this? I cannot pay

enough compliments to those people. We are all privileged, we have a

sport which started as a hobby, then became a sport and then a

business. Without those fans, and I am grateful to them, I don't think

we would be out here doing what we do. Words escape me because I

cannot be more complimentary two years. The only thing Eddie is

disappointing about, is at a Grand Prix there are lots of people

wanting an autograph or a photo. And now you have three the lonely

looking men are walking along who says the paddock is the place to be

this weekend. It is not the place to be if you add Jenson Button. He

struggled in qualifying and had a few tough last races, he is with

Lee McKenzie. We are caught out by the yellow? He got works for some

reason in the last sector and no where else. 1:seven seconds on my

dashboard. It is a pity. But definitely was not meant to be. The

good thing is I suppose, the positive you can take his these

guys are running round for two more sessions on their tyres and it is

going to rain tomorrow. It will make the race very difficult. I am

back in 18th, but maybe I will have better tyres. Up until the last run,

what was the difference? You are struggling and I heard you mention

tyres? I could not get any heat in the front tyres. Coming out of the

pits I felt it should a ring. I was hitting the brakes, on the throttle,

weaving. That is the reason I could not get a lifetime out of the tyre.

-- weaving. Webber Went 19th to fourth last weekend, so you

probably wouldn't mind going 18th to first this weekend? I would like

to put on a better show for the fans. But it is the story of my

year. It is pretty normal. I know I can drive a racing car in the wet.

I think he is doing his best to smile through that. He said it

pretty much sums up his ear. A bit of rain, we are still on the

television and Eddie decides it is time to go and get some soup. What

kind of soup is that? It is some kind of broth and this is the

temperature I am most accustomed to. Let's head up to the commentary box.

David, we have heard the thoughts of Gary Anderson and we have heard

from Eddie Jordan, but I am fascinated to hear from not just

the two Abu, but from a man who is here with us for the British Grand

Prix, ladies and gentlemen, Murray Walker. You have chosen a dry place

to be? I am absolutely fine and revelling in this. It is an

indication of what a fabulous system we have got for qualifying.

For years we struggled the best way to sort out the people who would be

on the front row of the grid. Now we had the three sessions, and

unless I am mistaken, it is seven years since the system began and it

is really working. We are waiting for the final session and lock who

is still not on the front row of the grid. Maldonado, Grosjean,

Felipe Massa, Alonso, La Charette. It is Eddie, surely you cannot have

proved they have stopped this particular session. There is

another session to go, but also part of the second one to happen so

we are not sure where this grid is growing -- going? Famously Eddie,

you are a hard man and you are demonstrating that now. But I agree

with you. That is the way things are, I would like to have seen

things to go on because it is the same for everybody. David? I have

tremendous respect for your point of view, you have been commentating

on Formula One since the formation of the Championship. But as a

driver there comes a time when the cars are not fit force -- fit for

purpose. Those who made a good decision to get out early and say,

let's get a time in. It only takes one lap to create the grid. They

should reap the benefit of that. But I also think the race director,

Charlie Whiting had done the white thing -- right thing. But they

should start within six minutes when the red flag is taken away.

But it is right not to have the cars running in these conditions

because it will lead to a high- speed crash. When they take to the

grass, they have no control. Potentially, David in this

situation, when the grid will be as it is shown. His qualifying going

to start again? In your memory banks Qamar can you remember a time

when a qualifying session was not restarted, so Alveston included?

Off the top of my head, it goes a bit fuzzy when you ask a question

like that. I can remember some terrible conditions. -- silver

stunned. This really is bad. You look up into the sky, it is grey,

the rain is coming down by the bucketful. There is your man, Lewis

Hamilton is second on the grid at the moment? If things stay as they

are at the moment, but going with pole position, Sergio Perez has

impressed so many times already. As BMW Sabir, they did have a pole

position. But Sauber, without the investment from BMW, this will be

their first ever pole position. And we could be on to a great story.

Perez nearly beat Fernando Alonso and he could be on pole position.

am going to eat a slice of humble pie. Last year when it was

announced Perez was going to be driving the Sauber, I thought he is

another day driver, some Mexican millions behind him. But he has

gone incredibly well. We have seen how talented he is, especially in

terms of looking after his tyres? am sure he feels he has unfinished

business. When he was chasing down Alonso, he probably thinks it was a

missed opportunity. We could have uninteresting look at the front

grid. Murray Walker, I love to chat to you about Formula One and hear

how it is for you coming back to the British Grand Prix. What is it

like being back here for you? Silverstone is so much a part of my

life. I was at the 1948 British Grand Prix, which was won by Luigi

Vella racy in a Maserati. My first ever broadcast was at 1949. I was

at the Royal meeting in 1950 when Giuseppe Farina won and I have been

here for all of the rest of them. My first love is motorbikes, as you

know and there have been some fantastic motorbike meetings, and I

loved Silverstone, but I love it more when it is dry. We will be

back with you shortly. We have Lee McKenzie and side and Gary Anderson.

They are not lucky enough to be in a dry, but hopefully if there are

some drivers and team bosses to talk to, we will get an idea of

what the atmosphere is like. Eddie, finish your soup. It is magnificent.

Tell us what is going on inside the teams at the moment? This is

crucial for them. The guys who will do the strategy, they will look at

it were they were quick and were they were not. They will be telling

the driver, that is stagnant water, you have to miss that. Stay away

from the markings. The painter you see his like ice, it is a skating

cars hogging the middle of the roads. There is less grit there, a

less danger for start we have been given the news it will be about 45

minutes until this rain stops. the team thing, we would just get a

coffee, or is it constant information? Constant information.

They will be thinking how can we move the car further up the grid.

People on the brink, people like Paul di Resta will be wanting to

get up to where Hulkenberg is, fifth on the grid. Some teams will

be saying, leave it as it is. The weather is atrocious, we have done

what we needed to do in a proper way, let's declare the grid as it

is. I am sure they would love to do that, if you were at Jordan is that

what you would be saying? I would be jumping up and down and having a

word with Charlie. Saying you cannot possibly do this, less like

it off because we have all of the cars in one piece for tomorrow.

That is the key, making sure everybody is safe and take the grid

for tomorrow. We are struggling out birth. We will see what happens

before long. Lots off fans waving at the moment. David, why is a

driver would you want to stay in the car? Like wood and you want to

stretch your legs and calm yourself he can keep his focus. Personally,

I would be out and I would be having a couple of -- a cup of tea,

I think, speaking to my engineer. Paul di Resta, he is obviously

focused on improving on his current 12th position, as and when and if

they do restart this session. is the mindset, is it a case of

trying to keep yourself calm, or is it a case of keeping the adrenalin

going? DAVID COULTHARD: Driving in the wet

is the ultimate example of controlled aggression. In the dry,

it is all about attack. In the rain, it is all about absolutely small

inputs, small inputs on the throttle, there is no traction

control of course. Small inputs on the brake pressure. Physically, you

do not have the high G-forces in the wet, but you are tense, so

everything gets fatigued, your hips and your torso, and it puts a lot

more pressure on you. One man who's not feeling too much pressure right

now is Jude Law and friends. He is with the Lotus team. If I can come

back to you, Murray walker, and a stew about the Lotus team this year,

particularly Romain Grosjean... am one of the old school, and for

me, Lotus died with Colin Chapman. But the Lotus name is still going.

They are doing an absolutely fabulous job. The Team Principal

has made some courageous decisions, one of which was to bring Romain

Grosjean back into Formula 1. We all know that after he replaced

Nelson Piquet Jnr after the problems that they had, that he

himself had problems and had to go back to GP2. And it was a

calculated risk, which has worked out wonderfully well. France

desperately needs some good Grand Prix drivers, to get its place back

in the Grand Prix firmament. Let's remember that Grand Prix racing

actually started in France. So, Romain Grosjean doing as well as he

is is a very significant factor. He is one of the people who could win

a Grand Prix this year that has not yet done so. Heaven knows how many

there will be, perhaps 10 winners by the end of the season. We are

all trying to work out why Jude Law is allowed inside the pit lane when

we are banned from going in once decision has started. I'm sure he

has got special dispensation for being good-looking or something.

EDDIE JORDAN: Actually, I know him as Watson, not as Jude Law, because

of the Sherlock Holmes story, which has made him into a megastar.

best not to mention Alfie, probably. We mention Romain Grosjean, he will

be sitting in his car, working out what to do - have you been

impressed by the way he has got on with Kimi Raikkonen? If you

remember, in Valencia, I apologised to the boss of the team, because I

did not think that Grosjean was worthy of a second chance. How

wrong I was. This guy has turned the light switch on, and it is

fantastic to see. Bruno Senna is also hoping to impress this weekend,

after a couple of difficult races. He has come out of the garage to

speak to our lovely Lee McKenzie. How wet is it? It is a glamorous

life, as you can tell. How difficult work things out there for

you? It is difficult. We made the mistake of going out on the inters.

We got stuck behind a slower cars on the full wets. I could not get a

lap with the inters, and when we put the full wets on, it was too

late. It is very frustrating. But we will see what happens with the

rain, and hopefully when we restart, the conditions will be competitive.

We saw the effects of what the rain can do yesterday, and you had a bit

of a big off. How difficult is it? David was sale, these cars are not

boats, so was it really dangerous? It was starting to get a bit

dangerous, especially around Becketts. You could see Fernando

and Massa going off, so I think it is the right way to do it. But

unfortunately for us, we had not put a lap time in yet. I am going

to try to give you these headphones, so that David Coulthard can speak

to you. You will still be attached to me, so don't walk away, for

heaven's sake. DAVID COULTHARD: Can you hear me?

can hear you. You are apparently attached to Lee, so that's no

hardship. You have got at least 10 minutes, we're hearing, so you do

not need to worry. Just picking up on what Lee said, I would love it

if you could explain why it is so difficult in these conditions. Most

people can probably relate to aquaplaning, if they have been out

on a motorway, but why do these Formula 1 cars just snap away? We

have seen world champions disappearing off the racetrack.

is because we run a very low ride height. As the tyres are

aquaplaning, we are also aquaplaning with the bottom of the

car. It is a bit like a hull. It will go wherever it wants.

Especially at high speeds, you just losing the downforce as well. So,

everything accumulates, and you end up having a big off, like I had

yesterday. Fernando and Felipe Massa have been having the same

problem. It is very tough in these conditions. Hopefully we can get

back onto the track and do some more laps when the conditions are

better. But the conditions are the same for everybody. If it is too

dangerous, park the car. We should not be held in suspense for another

six minutes, surely, it should have either been stopped or allowed to

fizzle out and finish the session and make that the qualifying grid?

The problem is that we had a lot of cars going off the track, and then

you end up with a red flag for a crash. There is no point continuing

if you have got more than four or five cars going off the track, so I

think it is the right decision. Hopefully it is going to get better.

JAKE HUMPHREY: Before we let you go, Bruno, I would love you to say

hello to Murray walker, up in the commentary box, who of course for

so many years was the voice of the success of your uncle in Formula 1.

Murray, I am sure you would like to say hello was well. Good to hear

from you, Murray, and hopefully we will meet up and talk about some

good moments in the near future. Indeed, yes. You have had a very

difficult start to your career, you lost about 10 years through not

being able to do karting, like most people do, but you are now with an

absolutely top team - how does it feel in comparison with the ones

you have been in in the past? course, it is a great privilege to

be with Williams, especially in a year in which they have recovered

so well from last year. It is good that you know whenever you come to

a track that you will have the chance to score points, and to be

in the top five sometimes. Although it sounds like a dream, this year

is a bit of a nightmare, with how close the grid is. You make one

mistake, and you can be losing 10 positions this year. So it is a

tough time in Formula 1, but that is how you raise your game. I am

really glad I am here. Hopefully I will have some good races at the

end of the season. Thank you very much for joining us, Bruno. Just

behind us, we can see, this is what is happening, and you can see the

fans and the marshals and you can see the clock just stuck at six

minutes, 19 seconds. But still smiles on people's faces. Eddie and

myself are doing our best to keep dry and warm. Thanks for ordering

the coffee for me. Not that we want to make you feel bad, Gary Anderson,

out in the rain. How is it going? It is going pretty good, it is

still raining, but not nearly as heavily as it was. But there will

be some big puddles around. By but with six minutes, 19 seconds to go,

in reality, if you get out of the pit lane pretty early, that will

allow you to do three times laps. So you have got to risk more to put

the laps in then you were risking before, because the track will be a

total unknown. You will have to find all of those puddles again.

They are going to be bigger. I am not a great believer of what has

happened here at all. Can you give us an idea, Gary, when you were in

the Jordan team, what would be the atmosphere in Jordan if this

decision had been made, and we were back in 2001, and you were fighting

for victories or points? Well, the decisions you make as a team are

the things that you pay the price fall. Ferrari made the wrong

decision, and are suffering the consequences of it. Williams made

the wrong decision. So they are suffering the consequences as well.

But for the teams that have made a good decision, and hopefully we

would have been one of them, Jordan, that is what it is about. If there

is a red flag because of an accident or somebody has gone off,

I fully understand that. But whenever you have a limited session

time, I don't think you can interfere with the outcome of it.

And this is what it is, it is an interference with the outcome of

the session. So, in the future, if it looks as though the rain is

getting heavier, why even bother going out on the track, why not

just park up, knowing that somebody will throw a red flag up? It is so

inconsistent. The teams are there to make good decisions and bad

decisions. Gary, we have just been seeing some shots from the

commentary box, there is quite a lot of work going on on the car at

Lotus, and we are not in parc ferme conditions yet, so the teams to

have an opportunity to change the set up, so how does that affect

their approach? I am a bit surprised about that. When you have

got parc ferme, it starts at the beginning of qualifying. You can

change electronics or the front wing angles, wheels and tyres, but

the rest of it should be not able to be worked on. You can work on it

as long as you're not putting different parts on the car. We know

that Kimi Raikkonen was talking earlier on about having a problem

with KERS. I don't know whether they are working on that. I cannot

see. It is strange. The parc ferme rules start at the beginning of the

qualifying session, the minute you drive out of the pit lane.

EDDIE JORDAN: If you look at where Rosberg is currently, third on the

grid - was he so lucky to make it through even, because had it not

been for a tardy lap from Jenson Button, he would not even have made

it through, so why take away what he did, which was a great job?

That's exactly right, Eddie. When you're a small team, and we saw

Kovalainen putting on the slick tyres, they were the teams that

needed to take that gamble. If possible, it is the teams at the

back that you want to see doing something different to get up at

the front. I watched Sauber, and they had done a good lap term, they

knew, as long as anybody else did not put on the slick tyres, they

would not have to worry. Why would a team which is potentially at the

front take those risks? I can understand completely a team at the

back taking those risks. But sometimes, the decisions which are

made in the pit lane now, I find them a bit illogical. We are joined

now by Christian Horner, fresh from the pit wall. What do you know

about where we might be able to get racing again? They are saying that

this rain could go on for about an hour. Hopefully after that it will

start to lift. But there is so much surface water, and Silverstone is

not great for aquaplaning, with the corners being so quick, that's the

major problem, we need to get rid of the surface water. Actually,

those were very high quality police officers, I would have been happy

to go to jail with them. Never mind. Sue Key eighth and tenth on the

grid, surely you would want to continue with this, but surely you

have to have some thought for people like Hamilton, Rosberg and

Perez - they have done the job, so this should be declared as the

final grid position, don't you in Japan a few years ago qualifying

was run on Sunday morning, if the weather was so bad. Hopefully it

won't come to that. It has been a matter of survival. We navigated a

way through the first session. The circuit has deteriorated and it is

a matter of surviving those sessions. Daniel Ricciardo and

Jean-Eric Vergne are doing a great job. If you are wondering what

Christian is looking at when he turns around. If you are watching

this on the TV, you don't have access to this. This is what the

teams have on the pit wall. How much information can you glean from

this as a team? We have the three columns for the different sectors.

The circuit is split up into three sectors. Anything that goes green

is a personal best. Anything that is purple is good because it is

quickest over all. We can see how a lap time is progressing. Whether

you are quicker than a competitor. The middle sector has got Becketts,

another crucial sector. It gives you an overview of were your

strengths and weaknesses are. need to ask you again about Japan.

You said a similar set of circumstances. Actually it wasn't,

we did not run at all on the Saturday, we did not have any times

for any one. We have half the session here. It would be perfectly

OK to declare that the grid. don't think in a sporting race they

can do that. The session has not finished. I would have to read of

the regulations or speak to Jonathan, our team manager. I know

you don't know the regulations! If it was declared a result now, I'm

not sure if they wouldn't go with car number. That is in the sporting

regulations as well. We want to see it restarted and even if it was run

tomorrow if it were dry, that would be preferable to anything else.

Could it be started under the safety car? You cannot qualify

under the safety car, Eddie. They have already qualified. You are

getting very confusing now. question we have been asking is why

do we need a red flag? If the circuit becomes waterlogged you

slowdown and drive to the conditions. If you are better than

Ferrari and McLaren and overcoming the battle on the track, you

deserve to be on pole position. If you choose it is not safe, you can

bring your cars in? These cars are only 500 or so kilos. The amount of

standing water they get lifted up, on the Strait of going through some

of the corners. They are so light. They are floating on the surface

and they lose control. We saw Fernando Alonso, very lucky to get

a way with an incident and Felipe Massa. It is too dangerous. If you

allow the drivers to go out and qualified they will want to go for

it. We said to both their drivers, take it easy when the weather came

down. We want to make sure the cars are also in one piece. We you get

Jonathan Steele e-mail Eddie a copy of the sporting regulations.

would rather he didn't so, I don't want to see them. He wouldn't

follow them anyway. We have heard from Christian, Gary and Eddie as

to why this session should be on. Let's hear from Charlie Whiting,

the race director himself. If you could give me a status of

date? It looks like the rain should stop at about 2:45pm. We are

clearing the water away and we will keep doing that until it stops and

do our best to make sure it is drivable quickly after that. Tell

me what you're looking for out there so it is ready? The main

thing is to have no standing water where cars can aquaplaned. Those

are the worst conditions. How long do you anticipate before we get