Alonso claims pole at Silverstone

Formula One: Renault's world champion Fernando Alonso seized pole position for tomorrow's British Grand Prix at Silverstone …

Formula One:Renault's world champion Fernando Alonso seized pole position for tomorrow's British Grand Prix at Silverstone with McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen alongside him on the front row.

The Spaniard, the runaway championship leader, sealed his fourth pole in a row with his last flying lap of the qualifying session on Saturday. Raikkonen then swept Ferrari's seven times world champion Michael Schumacher off the front row in the dying seconds.

Schumacher, who caused uproar during Monaco qualifying two weeks ago, avoided similar controversy at Silverstone and filled an all-Ferrari second row with Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa. Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella starts fifth with Honda's Brazilian Rubens Barrichello sixth.

Last year's winner for McLaren, Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, was eighth. Neither of Britain's two drivers stood out at their home grand prix.

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Red Bull's David Coulthard will start 11th while Honda's Jenson Button qualified a dismal 19th, on the last row but one.

Television reports suggested Button, who sat helplessly in his car in the garage as the final seconds of the opening session ticked away, was called to the weighbridge after his first timed lap.

Only Toyota's Jarno Trulli had a more dispiriting afternoon. The Italian, who has yet to score a point in a luckless season, will start last of all after limping down the pitlane with a cloud of smoke coming from his car's engine before he had even set a timed lap.

Grid Postions

1. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault

2. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren

3. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari

4. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari

5. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault

6. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Honda

7. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Toyota

8. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) McLaren

9. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber

10. Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) BMW Sauber

11. David Coulthard (Britain) RedBull - Ferrari

12. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Williams - Cosworth

13. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) Toro Rosso - Cosworth

14. Christian Klien (Austria) RedBull - Ferrari

15. Scott Speed (U.S.) Toro Rosso - Cosworth

16. Tiago Monteiro (Portugal) MF1 - Toyota

17. Mark Webber (Australia) Williams - Cosworth

18. Christijan Albers (Netherlands) MF1 - Toyota

19. Jenson Button (Britain) Honda

20. Takuma Sato (Japan) Super Aguri - Honda

21. Franck Montagny (France) Super Aguri - Honda

22. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota