Welcome to coverage of qualifying for the British Grand Prix. It's currently dry at Silverstone although clouds are around, and there's a storm brewing off the track too...

The off-throttle blown diffuser ban has been rumbling on and on, and this morning a final directive annoyed Red Bull because it feels it impacts its Renault engines unfairly. It didn't stop Sebastian Vettel being fastest in FP3 though...

Vettel pipped Alonso by less than 0.1s in the final practice session this morning. Webber was third ahead of Massa, so Ferrari are looking competitive today. McLaren didn't show their full hand though.

Speaking of McLaren, Martin Whitmarsh has just told the BBC that Ferrari was smiling the most after the FIA meetings over the clarification.

Let's try and put all of the arguments to one side for an hour and enjoy some track action, eh? Good, glad you're with me. So I want to hear from you; who's your tip for pole? Let us know using the link above or on Twitter by tweeting Laurence in the Silverstone paddock @ESPNF1_live

The first session is under way, and we have a very busy track because a rain shower is forecast at some point in these first 20 minutes. All cars are on track

Paul di Resta will be the first man to set a timed lap. Kovalainen is surprisingly quick in sector two...

The first timed lap is di Resta's 1:36.372, but that is soon beaten by Alonso, Barrichello, Hamilton and Kovalainen

Alonso with a 1:33.741. Vettel is on a lap and told there is light rain at Copse

Vettel goes fifth on hard tyres, Massa is second quickest.

We're seeing the soft tyre runs nice and early, and Kovalainen improves to eighth. Everyone within 107% at present with Petrov surprisingly 23rd and Perez also in the drop zone.

Vettel goes quickest with a 1:33.555

Alonso has gone off exiting Brooklands and had to go round the outside of the gravel at Luffield. He's able to rejoin without damage though

Webber is on a quick lap, and goes fastest with a 1:33.044. Barrichello is second at present.

Petrov has improved to 13th, we've got a few spots of rain visible on the on-board cameras

Massa goes quickest, the drop zone includes Heidfeld and Buemi at the moment. Both on track though.

Maldonado has gone quickest. Alguersuari and Buemi now in the drop zone and both in the pits with 10 minutes to go

Hamilton has gone sixth and is just ahead of Alonso. Button is 11th.

Heidfeld is still on the edge of the drop zone as he pits. The current seven are Alguersuari, Buemi, Glock, Trulli, D'Ambrosio, Liuzzi and Ricciardo

Webber is now fastest, with Massa on another quick lap

Massa improves but stays third, less than 0.1s between Webber, Maldonado and Massa

Alonso goes fifth, so his car is clearly fine. A few more spots of rain visible

Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari have been lapping on hard tyres

It is raining heavily now, and this could help Kovalainen make it through for Lotus...

The track surface has definitely been affected, Buemi is tip-toeing around on soft tyres but will not be able to improve with these track conditions.

Everyone is back in the pits with two and a half minutes left, so that looks like it for the Toro Rosso pair in Q1.

Buemi climbs out of his car, and with a minute to go nobody will be going out again. So the headline news is Kovalainen in the Lotus is through to Q2, with both Toro Rosso's out.

Kovalainen's engineer tells him he will be going out on inters in Q2.

That's it, the first session is over. Dropping out are: Alguersuari, Buemi, Glock, Trulli, D'Ambrosio, Liuzzi and Ricciardo.

Webber was fastest from Maldonado, Massa, Vettel and Alonso. Barrichello was sixth ahead of Hamilton, Perez, Schumacher and Rosberg. Of course, those positions mean nothing once Q2 gets going in a few minutes.

Ricciardo tells the BBC that his session was "interesting", which is hardly surprising seeing as he will start 24th and last.

So a Lotus through to Q2, which was unexpected, and a Red Bull on top, which wasn't. Engines are firing up ahead of the second session.

Lotus (MyTeamLotus) on Twitter: "Looks like it might be drying out for Q2 so hopefully we'll get a dry run."

The second session begins, and Nico Rosberg is first man out. He's on intermediate tyres, as is his team-mate Schumacher. It doesn't look that wet out there, and Heidfeld has gone out on slicks.

Vettel is out on hard dry tyres, but then exiting Copse there is a lot of water, so a tough call at the moment. The session is only 15 minutes long too...

Rosberg's first sector is three seconds off the pace, but he will make time up in the middle sector. Nobody pushing hard though, and Rosberg pits for slicks.

Heidfeld sets the first lap time, and it's a 1:41.657 but that is six seconds slower than his Q1 time.

Maldonado goes quickest with a 1:37.703 on slicks. Barrichello is second on a 1:39.208. Schumacher did a 1:42.471 on intermediates.

Kobayashi goes second fastest, 0.7s slower than Maldonado.

Vettel on hard tyres, Barrichello improves to a 1:36.408 for quickest so far.

Vettel improves to eighth, while Hamilton and Schumacher pit for slicks with eight and a half minutes to go.

Perez goes quickest, before Kobayashi beats it.

Webber now fastest, times are tumbling as the track gets more dry

Sutil now fastest, a 1:34.872.

We've got Vettel two seconds off the pace at the moment, while Petrov is going quickly. We're going to see a very busy end to the session and someone could get caught out...

The current drop zone consists of: Schumacher, Hamilton, Alonso, Rosberg, di Resta, Massa and Kovalainen

Sutil improves to a 1:33.672, Alonso is over a second off the pace.

Everyone putting on soft tyres now.

Alonso goes 7th, but that's 4 seconds off the pace. Shows how much difference there is in track conditions

Only Sutil not on track, Alonso goes quickest and Hamilton second

Times are dropping so quickly now, all cars are on track now. Kovalainen is fifth

Vettel now second, Webber is 10th with 2 minutes left...

Webber goes quickest, the drop zone is now Kovalainen, Kobayashi, Perez, Barrichello, Petrov, Rosberg and di Resta

Massa has gone quickest, di Resta goes sixth

Sutil and Heidfeld now in the drop zone, Button drops in too

Button starting his one and only lap to get through, Schumacher in the same situation in 12th

Hamilton is in the pits and only seventh...

Lots of cars on laps, Sutil goes 10th

Schumacher misses out

Button needs to nail the rest of his lap...

Button makes it through by just 0.4s

Schumacher is the big name to drop out, but he's only a second off the fastest time. from 11th downwards is Sutil, Perez, Schumacher, Petrov, Barrichello, Heidfeld and Kovalainen

It was so close at the end, the gap from Button in fourth to Petrov in fourteenth was 0.5s. Massa, Webber and Alonso were the top three, and di Resta and Maldonado both impress to get through in to Q3.

Hamilton in eighth was just 0.1s quicker than Schumacher in 13th. That's how close it was for so many drivers.

So now it's time for the pole position shootout - can anyone end Red Bull's run?

And we're away in the final session. Vettel, Webber, Hamilton, Button, Alonso, Massa, Rosberg, Maldonado, di Resta and Kobayashi will battle it out.

More potential rain is forecast, so everyone bar Kobayashi is on track on soft tyres ready to do an early fast run.

Martin Whitmarsh looks worried, and there is a massive black cloud over the circuit...

Vettel has got himself in prime position - he's first on track and will set the first flying lap. His first sector is half a second quicker than Hamilton, but Webber is 0.1s quicker...

Vettel now 0.1s up...

Vettel's lap is a 1:30.431, and Webber goes fastest with a 1:30.399.

Alonso goes third, 0.2s off pole, Massa fourth 0.7s further back. Button and Hamilton very slow. Hamilton two seconds off the pace

Maldonado goes sixth before di Resta beats him with a 1:31.929s

Hamilton now ninth, Kobayashi on a lap and could beat both McLarens...

He loses time in the final sector though, a 1:32.128 puts him eighth.

Kobayashi returning to the pits, nobody else on track at the moment. Three and a half minutes to go

Hamilton was on used soft tyres we hear, but he was still very slow

A few spots of rain starting to fall as the drivers head out again...that could prevent any improvements...

Only di Resta, Maldonado and Kobayashi are still in the pits.

Button is first to start his final run, followed by Rosberg

Button backs off, Rosberg pushes on though and improves in the first sector

Hamilton can't improve on his first sector, he's 10th at the moment

Rosberg sideways through Chapel, and he loses out in Stowe and pits

On board with Hamilton and he backs off and pits, he'll start tenth.

It's too wet, nobody can improve so Mark Webber has secured pole ahead of his team-mate Sebastian Vettel. Alonso is third ahead of Massa, and an all-British third row but not who you'd expect - Button lines up alongside di Resta. Maldonado is an impressive seventh ahead of Kobayashi, Rosberg and Hamilton.

It's another Red Bull pole, but it's only Webber's second of the season. A fantastic performance from di Resta for sixth place, he was just 0.03s slower than Button.

So that's your grid for the race tomorrow, and even with all of the diffuser ban talk, Red Bull are still the team to beat. Will it be hampered during the race? And can Mark Webber secure his first race win of the season? He's still let to lead a lap, but join us tomorrow to find out if he can change that.