* Engine Change - drops 10 places on the grid

Lewis Hamilton made a statement in Q1 - Q2 and Q3 that he was the man to beat and in Q3 set the provisional pole time.  Fernando Alonso´s first visit to the pits in Q3 had been disastrous with the string on the tyre warmer delaying his planned departure from the pit lane.  On the second visit to change tyres for his last attempt to claim pole he stayed in the pits despite his "lollipop" being raised.  When he eventually left he snatched pole position from Lewis Hamilton who had been waiting behind him, Fernando´s actions not allowing Lewis time to complete a full flying lap, having changed his soft tyres for another set of soft tyres.  It is said that the rear view mirrors on a Formula 1 car on the circuit has very limited visibility.  Nick Heidfeld took third place away from the only Ferrari in the top ten - that of Kimi Raikkonen who could manage no better than fourth fastest, his team mate Felipe Massa struggling in Q2 with a badly handling car and not being able to go higher fourteenth, despite being the fastest car in practice 3 this morning.  Nico Rosberg was a promising fifth ahead of Ralf Schumacher, Robert Kubica, Giancarlo Fisichella and the second Toyota of Jarno Trulli and Mark Webber, his team mate David Coulthard starting eleventh.  Both Hondas we knocked out in Q1 but Anthony Davidson in the Super Aguri Honda really shone with a seventh fastest time.