Ahead of the first part of today's all-important qualifying session, the ambient temperature is 18 degrees C, while the track temperature is a fairly pleasant 29 degrees.

Since this morning's second practice session there's been a rain shower, which has left the track damp in patches.

Having dominated three of the four free practice sessions, Kimi Raikkonen will be keen to be quickest when it really matters, while teammate David Coulthard, twice a winner here, will have something to say about that. Then there's the other 'local hero', Jenson Button, second quickest in both of today's sessions.

In the first part of today's session, the cars will run in the order in which they finished the previous race, which means - not for the first time - the Michael Schumacher will get proceedings underway.

At 13:00 precisely, the six-time World Champion leaves his garage. At the first split the Ferrari star posts 24.9s, followed by a 34.9 as he locks up. He spins a 360 at Priory, much to the delight of the crowd, but keeps going and finally crosses the line at 1:30.293.

Fernando Alonso is next out, the Spaniard forfeits two grid spots tomorrow. At the first split the Renault star posts 25.4, followed by a 34.7. He almost spins, but controls it. At the line it's 1:21.923, he beats Schumacher by 8.370.

Rubens Barrichello is the third driver out. At the first split the Brazilian posts 25.1, but then he too has a moment, losing precious time. At the line it's 1:24.817, he's second 2.894s off Alonso's time.

Jarno Trulli is next out, he's still in Renault's bad book following his error in France. At the first split the Italian posts 25.7, followed by a 34.9 at the second. He's understandably cautious, but still manages to go quickest, with a 1:21.496.

Local hero Jenson button is next out, much to the delight of the crowd. At the first split the Englishman posts 25s, followed by a 33.9s at the second, he's quickest in that sector. At the line it's 1:18.872, he goes quickest by 2.624s.

David Coulthard is another driver with a lot of support here, what can he do? At the first split the Scot posts 25.2, he's slower than Button, but it's marginal. He's pushing hard, consequently he's fastest in the second sector, posting 33.8s. At the final corner he inexplicably seems to slow, crossing the line at 1:23.521.

Although the rain has stopped, the wind is strong.

Next out is Kimi Raikkonen, who has set the pace for much of the weekend. At the first split it's 25.2 followed by a 34.1s at the second. However, like DC, Kimi slows while he negotiates the stadium complex, crossing the line at 1:21.639 to go third.

Juan Pablo Montoya is next out, the Colombian needs a result this weekend. He makes a mistake in the Beckets complex, consequently he completed the first sector in 25s followed by a 34.2s at the second. At the line it's 1:34.386, he's slower than Schumacher. Clearly the teams know something that we don't, which means they want to be out last in the second session. Is Button going to be a victim of his own success?

Mark Webber posts 25.5s at the first split followed by a 34.5s at the second. Then he too slows once he enters the complex. He crosses the line at 1:35.853.

In all honesty, this is taking the piss. The crowd is bewildered.

Marc Gene is next out, the Spaniard going quickest of all in the first sector with a 24.8. At the second split the WilliamsF1 driver posts 41.9 as he slows to a ludicrous pace. At the line Gene posts 1:34.981, he goes ninth of ten.

Christian Klien is on track in the Jaguar, the Austrian posting 25.9s at the first split. At the second split it's 34.9, crossing the line at 1:34.648 to go straight to the bottom of the timesheets.

Giancarlo Fisichella is next out in the Sauber. The Italian goes quickest in the first sector, posting 24.8s, but promptly spins off, though he's able to continue. He completes the second sector in 46.1 and then pulls off into the pits. Don't forget, the Sauber driver forfeits ten grid spots as a result of his engine change yesterday.

Teammate Felipe Massa posts 24.8s at the first split, followed by a 34.4 at the second. Unlike his rivals, Massa doesn't slow in the stadium, and consequently crosses the line at 1:19.317, to go second.

da Matta completes the first sector in 25.8, going on to complete the second in 35.6. At the line the Brazilian posts 1:22.507 to go sixth.

Teammate Olivier Panis is next out, the Frenchman keen to remain in F1 next season. At the first split the Toyota driver posts 25.2s, followed by a 33.9s at the second. At the line it's 1:19.697, which puts him third on the provisional grid.