Reigning Silverstone champion Fernando Alonso was just 0.047 seconds faster in practice than Red Bull driver Mark Webber, his closest championship competitor. Webber starts the race alongside Alonso on the front row.

Michael Schumacher in the Mercedes and current world champion Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull start third and fourth on the grid.

Commenting on practice, Alonso said: "To complete a lap in these conditions was difficult, but I'm happy with pole position. After nearly two years for Ferrari, it is a long time." Alonso currently has a 20-point lead in the championship over Webber.

Qualifying was halted during the second qualifying session on Saturday and it took workers with brooms and road sweeping vehicles to clear the track of water. After a 90 minutes delay, visibility was still restricted.

Schumacher secured the third fastest time in practice, two weeks after coming third at the European GP - his first podium finish since coming out of retirement two years ago.

Vettel has won only one race this season, compared with the six victories by this stage last season when he held a 77-point lead. "I am not trying too hard or taking too many risks or trying anything different," Vettel said last week. "If it happens I will be very happy. If it doesn't, hopefully I can try again ... We have to be patient."

The run up to Sunday's race has been badly affected by the weather. Chaotic scenes on Friday saw thousands of race fans stuck in all-day traffic jams as car parks and campsites flooded. Silverstone's managing director Richard Phillips asked 30,000 ticket holders to stay at home rather than drive to the track during qualifying on Saturday, in order to allow public car parks time to drain.

A crowd of 125,000 is expected for the race "We're hoping people come early. We'd like lift-sharing. If you've got a bike, come on that. Four by fours are very welcome, horses and pack animals," Phillips joked. "The latest forecast I've seen is for the odd shower. The race itself might be wet. Who knows? This is Britain."

jm/rc (Reuters, AP, dpa)