Welcome to the final qualifying session of the season. Over the next hour we will find out who who will be on pole position and who will be one step closer to taking the championship this year. Red Bull looked quick in final practice and a last-minute set-up change for Hamilton didn't pay off. However, the McLaren driver should still be quick and we've yet to see what Alonso has to offer this weekend. It should be a great session

The sun is now setting, the track is cooling and we are just five minutes away from Q1. Ferrari says: "Cars are ready in the garage. Felipe has just come in"

Alonso is getting some last-minute words of advice from Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.

Expect a couple of flying laps for the fastest time from each driver. Mike Gascoyne of Lotus says: "The tyres here are not coming in on the first timed lap, fronts taking time to come in"

The session is underway and the Toro Rossos lead the Virgins out on track.

Hamilton heads out on the harder tyres.

Heidfeld is all over the back of one of the Virgins, trying to get by before he starts his first flying lap.

Alguersuari logs his first time with a 1:43.428. Pole position should be in the 1:39s today.

Alonso heads out on track, Vettel and Webber are also out there now.

Hamilton clocks a 1:41.245 on his first attempt, Button is about a second off.

Button is complaining of a "massive" vibration.

Kubica and Kobayashi still haven't left the pits. They may well be comfortable just to do one run in Q1.

Hamilton is going faster again. Barrichello and Schumacher are about 0.4 seconds off at the moment.

Hamilton sets a 1:40.743, Alonso is 0.2 seconds slower.

Vettel has gone fastest through the first sector so clearly has his tyres up to temperature. But down the long straights he is losing out to Hamilton and Alonso.

Vettel goes fastest overall with a 1:40.617, Webber is slower with a 1:40.842.

Kobayashi and Kubica are now out. Assuming they can put in quick laps thenn the two Toro Rossos are close to the drop zone. There is enough time for another run if the drivers want it.

Webber still can't pip Hamilton. Alonso is just outside the top three.

Alonso moves up to third and is about a tenth down on Vettel. It's incredibly tight at the top.

Alonso goes quickest with a 1:40.170.

Alguersuari is in the drop zone with the new teams. Kobayashi is hovering close but he is still getting his tyres up to temperature.

Kobayashi is on the soft tyres to try and boost himself up the order.

Alguersuari hasn't started his most recent lap well. He will get at least one more run after this lap.

Alguersuari starts his final lap.

Alguersuari looks set to drop, he's 0.2 off Buemi through sector 1 and was struggling with the car in sector 2.

Alguersuari beats Buemi after Buemi made a mistake in the final sector and ran wide in turn 19.

Rsoberg pops up to second fastest with his last lap, proving how quickly this track is developing. The frontrunners finished the last five or six minutes of the session in the garage.

Michael Schumacher leads the field out of the pits for the start of Q2.

Hamilton and Button have gone out on hard tyres for the start of this session. The track temperature is now falling as the sun disappers over the horizon.

Alonso clocks a 1:40.475 on the hard tyres. Red Bull have gone out on the softer tyres.

Button goes fastest of all with a 1:40.267, 0.6 faster than he went in Q1.

Schumacher and Rosberg are lapping well, within 0.5 seconds of Button's best.

Button goes a tenth faster but we still haven't seen a quick lap from Hamilton and the Red Bulls. Hamilton is on a slow middle sector but that's because he lost the rear under braking for one of the chicanes and ran wide.

The Force Indias, Saubers and Alguersuari are likely to drop out in this session, who will join them?

Vettel goes fastest of all with a 1:39.874, by far the fastest time we have seen.

Ferrari are preparing Alonso for one last run.

Hamilton is back in the pits and hasn't set a competitive lap time yet.

Yellow flag, I'm not sure why.

Hamilton will get two laps on the soft tyre to try and lift himself out of the drop zone. Hamilton also got in the way of Massa and took out a bollard in the process. That might come back to bite him.

Hamilton looks set to get himself into the top ten but he could get a penalty, especially if Massa doesn't make Q3.

Hamilton up to second.

Kubica and Hulkenberg are currently in the drop zone with Petrov and Barrichello in the top ten.

Last chance laps for everybody on track.

Kubica was very ragged in the final sector and failed to get into the top ten.

Rosberg pops up into the top three with a very good lap, could he mix it with the championship frontrunners this weekend?

Thumbs up from Petrov in the Renault, he looks very relieved to make it into Q3.

The final Q3 session of the season is underway. Hamilton, Button, Massa and Alonso are all out on track. Webber and Vettel are waiting in the pits.

Webber heads out on track, it looks like Vettel will be the last to run of the top drivers.

Hamilton starts his lap. Vettel is now leaving his garage.

Webber has had a very slow first sector.

Hamilton is fastest with a 1:39.582, 0.3 up on Button and Alonso is 0.5 off in third.

Vettel is warming up his tyres, it will be one lap and a quick dash back to the pits for a new set of tyres.

The McLarens are back in the pits, Webber is on a better lap.

Webber is up to third with a good final sector. Vettel pops up to provisional pole with a 1:19.448, Vettel is going faster again and appears to be going for one run.

Vettel is going quicker again but Webber can't match him and is still on the same tyres. Webber stays in fourth and has one more lap.

Vettel faster again and continues to go quicker.

Webber can't improve.

Hamilton has a good first sector, Alonso is not that much quicker.

Hamilton up in sector two but will probably lose that advantage in sector three.

Hamilton stays in second, 0.031 off Vettel.

Alonso pops up ahead of Button and Webber, crucial for his championship.

Brilliant lap by Alonso and not the top three that most people were predicting.

We are set for a brilliant race tomorrow, with Alonso now in the best position to take the championship. If they finish as they qualified it will be his.

But we have nearly two hours of racing ahead of us tomorrow and anything can happen. Make sure you check the site for all the reaction this evening before tomorrow's race.