With seconds to go before today's qualifying session gets underway, the air temperature is 26 degrees C, and the track temperature is 41 degrees.

We have no reason to believe that the tactics will be any different today than from previous qualifying sessions, so expect the 'big guns' to come out in the closing moments.

First out, clearly not regarding himself as a 'big gun' is Ralf Schumacher, who is followed by Coulthard and Sato.

As more and more cars head out on to the Catalan track, Ralf posts the benchmark, crossing the line at a disappointing 1:20.567.

Proof of how poor that lap was is not long in coming, as Takuma Sato posts a 1:20.257, to go quickest.

Monteiro briefly goes quickest, but is almost immediately bumped down by Liuzzi, who crosses the line at 1:17.925. Moments later, Trulli goes quickest, ahead of Scott Speed.

Kimi Raikkonen is on track, but once again the MP4-21 doesn't look 'confident', that said, he's quickest in the first two sectors.

Speed improves with a 1:17.412, to go quickest, but this is soon eclipsed by Raikkonen, who posts a 1:16.613.

Disaster for Coulthard who goes off at Turn 3, his session, and therefore his qualifying dream, is over, on this his most special of weekends. The bag of the Red Bull is badly damaged.

The session is red-flagged, which is bad news for Button who was on a hot lap using fresh rubber.

With 7m29s remaining, only ten drivers have posted times: Raikkonen, Klien, Speed, Trulli, Liuzzi, Albers, Monteiro, Sato, Ralf and Montagny.

The lights go green (again), and Fernando Alonso is first out, followed by Fisichella and the two Ferraris. "It's up to you to find a gap," the Spaniard is told over the team radio, "it's going to be busy!"

Alonso goes quickest in the first sector, as Button is already pushing hard on his out lap. Trulli is also on a hot lap.

Michael goes second with a 1:16.945, but this is immediately eclipsed by Alonso who goes quickest with a 1:15.816. A 1:16.046 sees Fisichella go second ahead of Button, as Michael goes third.

At this point the timing screens go haywire, as Montagny almost loses it at the final corner.

It's a very low key first session, as Speed, Monteiro, Albers, Sato, Montagny and David Coulthard all fail to progress to the next stage. Rosberg and Liuzzi were lucky not to fall at the first hurdle.

Alonso was quickest, ahead of Fisichella, Michael, Button, Villeneuve, Trulli, Montoya, Ralf, Barrichello and Heidfeld.

Villeneuve and Webber are first out for the second session, followed by Liuzzi and Rosberg.