Ahead of this afternoon's qualifying session, the air temperature is 21 degrees C, and the track temperature is 40 degrees. It remains sunny, with a few clouds in the sky, but windy.

The lights go green, and it is the Spykers of Sutil and albers who get proceedings underway.

As Kovalainen heads down the pitlane, the Spykers begin their first flying lap, both cars looking extremely twitchy through Becketts.

For a brief moment Sutil tops the timesheets before being bumped down by his teammate. However, as Kovalainen begins his first flying lap it is clear that the Spyker duo's moment of glory will be just that, a moment.

The Finn goes quickest (21.297), but Fisichella is already on a very hot lap, crossing the line at 21.054. Wurz goes third ahead of Schumacher and Trulli.

As Hamilton goes through Copse he appears to have forgotten that he's in an F1 car and not a GP2 car, he really lets the tail hang out.

Fisichella improves to 20.967, but Hamilton is setting a blistering pace. Sure enough, the Englishman crosses the line at 20.274 to go quickest ahead of Webber, Kubica and Fisichella.

Alonso leaves the pits, followed by Raikkonen. Massa waits and watches.

Hamilton improves to 19.885 as Kubica goes third with a 20.911. Jenson Button can only manage 22.247.

As Raikkonen and Alonso begin their flying laps, Massa heads down the pitlane. The Spaniard goes quickest in the first sector, as Heidfeld goes third overall. Raikkonen goes second but is bumped down to third when Alonso goes quickest (19.330).

Déjà vu for Button who is called to the weighbridge, which is exactly what screwed up his qualifying hopes here last year.

Raikkonen improves with a 19.753, splitting Alonso and Massa. Button and Barrichello are both in the danger zone. As are the Super Aguris and Spykers. Schumacher and Rosberg are safe, but only just.

Davidson is pushing hard, desperate to make the cut. However, it all goes wrong at Brooklands, he goes off after getting all crossed up, thereby bringing out the yellow flags. This is dreadful news for the drivers still in the danger zone, and this includes Button and Barrichello.

Trulli goes tenth, and teammate Schumacher sixth, as Button fails to make the cut for the second successive British GP. A bigger shock however is Rosberg, who can only manage seventeenth with a 21.219.

Therefore, we lose Rosberg, Button, Davidson, Sutil, Sato and Albers.

Quickest was Alonso, ahead of Raikkonen, Massa, Hamilton, Kubica, Schumacher, Heidfeld, Kovalainen, Webber and Wurz.