Mat Coch writes:

Nico Rosberg continued his fine form to secure his third consecutive pole position, while Lewis Hamilton made it an all-Mercedes front row after a difficult qualifying session.

Rain in the build-up threw a cat among the pigeons given all running prior to the crucial session had been in the dry. The weather eased by the time the session started, though with clouds hanging over the two-mile circuit the threat of heavier rain always loomed.

The Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton had been quick during practice, Rosberg's qualifying simulation in the final session raising more than a few eyebrows after setting a lap more than half a second faster than his nearest rival.

Before the session started Felipe Massa looked a non-starter as Ferrari worked to rebuild his damaged car, the Brazilian knocking three corners off it in a crash at Ste Devote in the dying moments of final practice. Force India and Lotus were also locked in a race against time to get Adrian Sutil and Romain Grosjean respectively out in the first phase of qualifying.

Qualifying 1

With the rain threatening, a queue of impatient drivers formed at the end of pitlane, keen to set a lap early in case the weather turned for the worse. Intermediates were the order of the day, the damp track far too slippery for slick tyres.

Just a minute into the session Jules Bianchi's qualifying was over, stopping his car at Massenet with smoke pouring out of the Marussia. The Frenchman was clearly in trouble upon leaving the pitlane, what appeared to be an engine fire likely caused by sitting at the end of the pit lane for too long.

The rain began to increase in its intensity as the drivers begun their first flying laps, Jenson Button setting the early pace with a 1:38.451. That time was soon beaten by Mark Webber by nearly two seconds with a 1:36.529.

Jean-Eric Vergne showed early pace, putting his Toro Rosso in a provisional second with a 1:36.893, though Paul Di Resta shot to the top of the charts with a 1:35.705, showing the right tyre and being of strong testicular fortitude were key factors to a fast lap.

Indeed the track began to improve as Alonso went fastest, only to be bettered by Vergne and then Hamilton, who was almost a second faster than anyone else at 1:32.920. Webber improved his time to a 1:33.417 as the timing screens changed like fruit machines.

Just before the midway point of the session only Felipe Massa and Romain Grosjean were yet to head out. Of those who had been on track Bianchi was an obvious casualty while Max Chilton, Nico Rosberg and Charles Pic were in the danger zone with just under eleven minutes remaining. However with the track changing rapidly nobody was safe as drivers found whole seconds rather than tenths.