Alonso revels in the rain again

Championship leader Fernando Alonso mastered the wet conditions at Hockenheim to grab pole position for Sunday's German Grand Prix.

After taking top spot on the grid a fortnight ago in the rain at Silverstone, Alonso has now put his Ferrari on pole in back-to-back races, and for the 22nd time in his Formula One career.

The Spaniard was comfortably quicker by half a second than local hero Sebastian Vettel, born just 28 miles away in Heppenheim.

The reigning world champion was forced to settle for second, with Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber third, although the Australian has to serve a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.

Webber's penalty means Michael Schumacher jumps up to third in his Mercedes and is joined on the second row by another German in Force India's Nico Hulkenberg.

Williams' Pastor Maldonado will start fifth, and then come McLaren duo Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, the former out-qualifying the latter for the first time this season.

However, the duo both proved their tyres struggle in the wet as they found themselves three-and-a-half seconds off the pace of Alonso on the full-wet Pirelli tyres.

With Webber starting eighth, behind him will be Force India's Paul di Resta and Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen.

Alonso, who had claimed after Q2 the track was dangerous given the conditions, was relieved in the end to be on pole as he said: "It was not easy for anybody. There was a lot of aquaplaning at turn six, but everything went well for us, backing off in those aquaplaning moments.

"We made a good call to put on fresh tyres (in Q3), the track was better in the closing moments which was good for us to put in a good lap time."