Full qualifying grid for German Grand Prix

Mark Webber will start on pole position for the first time in his Formula One career following a stunning display in qualifying for tomorrow's German Grand Prix.

Rain blighted the middle 15-minute session at the Nurburgring, but the weather stayed dry for the vital top-10 shootout, and it was the Australian due to make his 130th start who came out on top.

Webber then had an anxious wait in the dying moments as the Brawns of Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button, as well Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel, filed through - but they will start second, third and fourth respectively.

Lewis Hamilton proved his practice performances from Friday and this morning were no flukes by picking up a fifth-place start in his much-improved McLaren. The weather certainly helped Hamilton's team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, who lines up sixth on the grid, remarkably followed by Adrian Sutil to give Force India their first top-10 qualifying position.

Behind Sutil come the Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, with Nelson Piquet completing the top 10 for Renault.

For the first time in 27 races since joining Renault, Piquet finally out-qualified his more illustrious team-mate and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who could only manage 12th following a late spin on the greasy track.

It was remarkable that the Brazilian did so with speculation rife that this is to be his final grand prix for the team and he is about to be dropped by Renault in light of his under-performing over the past 18 months.

The rain played a big part in the middle period. There were numerous spins, and trundles across the grass and gravel as drivers were on the wrong tyres at the wrong time.

The big winner was Barrichello, who bided his time as he watched the mayhem unfold from the safety of his garage.

As the shower relented, the Brazilian produced the ideal lap at the right time, given the conditions, finishing the period 1.3 seconds clear of Piquet.

Toyota's Timo Glock was reprimanded and sent to the back of the starting grid after stewards ruled he had impeded Renault's Fernando Alonso in qualifying.

Glock qualified 19th, the penultimate slot, but Formula One stewards demoted him further for slowing down in front of the Spaniard during the first session in what they called a "potentially dangerous" action.

The penalty lifted Toro Rosso's struggling driver Sebastien Bourdais from last place to 19th in what may turn out to be his last Grand Prix. The suggestion is that the Frenchman, who has failed to come to terms with Formula One during his 18 months in the sport, is likely to be replaced by 19-year-old Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari for the next race in Hungary.

Meanwhile, defending world champion Hamilton is confident of becoming a winner again within the next few grands prix after seeing a marked improvement in his McLaren.

Asked if a win was possible on Sunday, the 24-year-old replied: "I don't know about that." But he added: "I'm very happy, and very proud of the job the team have been doing.

"The guys back at the factory have been on the limit and they did a fantastic job to bring part of the upgrade package here.

"It's put us on the right road because, before, we were almost up to a dead end.

"We can start exploring this new avenue - and fingers crossed, there is light at the end of the tunnel and there's success in places to come.

"With more updates coming, I hope within the next three or four races we are competing for wins. I honestly think we can do that."