Afternoon everyone, and welcome to LIVE coverage of qualifying from Silverstone!

McLaren have sent out Hamilton and Button on slicks in the rain. Why? Are they checking something in the set-up? It's surely the only reason - they are safe enough.

The rain is getting worse, and that makes the biggest losers almost certainly the Toro Rosso team - they are stranded in 18th and 19th places, and only a miracle will save them now. Great news for Kovalainen in the Lotus - he's 16th!

Heavy rain on the start/finish straight starting to fall - bad news if you're in the bottom seven...

Alonso in the 1:32.9s, and that's good enough for fifth. Rain really does look close. Button now the only top-running driver anywhere near trouble in 11th. In midfield, Heidfeld is teetering in 17th.

Alonso appears to be alright, and he's back out on track.

Webber nips back on top - just three hundredths of a second ahead of Maldonado, but the 2010 champion looking good.

Maldonado takes top spot on a 1:32.702 - Massa in second behind him. Hamilton not on the option tyres, but up to sixth. Button 11th - a little more disconcerting.

Strong lap from Webber! 1:33.044 takes out half a second on the rest of the field, and that ought to be enough for now.. Or will it? A clutch of guys coming through on flying laps and soft tyres...

Flag lifted, Barrichello and Vettel nip in ahead of Alonso on the timesheets!

Yellow flag! ALONSO HAS A WOBBLE! He loses all grip and has to wrestle the car to get back on track? Has he damaged the floor of his Ferrari?

A reminder of free practice three - Vettel was the quickest, but Red Bull far from happy as team chiefs discuss the new rules.

It's as simple as this; if the rain comes, nobody will be improving their lap times. That's craeting anxiety, even for the bigger teams.

Alonso quickest! Followed by Massa - a good start for Ferrari. Webber in third, Barrichello fourth. McLarens 10th and 14th.

Red Bulls, McLarens and Ferraris all on track. First lap times coming in...

It is dry at the moment, but the skies are dark overhead. There's plenty of action on course already.

20 minutes on the clock - seven cars to be eliminated. You know the drill, and so do the teams - in the uncertain weather, the cars set out early to make sure of dry laps.