2010 Japanese Grand Prix Race day at Suzuka

Vettel came out on top in qualifying

Vettel came out on top in qualifying © LAT
For the second time in six years, Japanese Grand Prix qualifying took place on Sunday morning, presenting the drivers with a stern test of their physical preparations.

Sebastien Buemi was the 'unlucky loser' in 18th place as he failed to make it through the first phase, along with the six drivers from the three new teams. Jarno Trulli led team-mate Heikki Kovalainen home in that category to take 19th, as the Lotus T127s went almost one second quicker than Virgin Racing.

Felipe Massa provided the first real surprise of qualifying as he failed to make the cut in a dramatic second stage. The Brazilian was clearly not happy with the balance of his Ferrari F10, and was demoted further as Heidfeld and Schumacher scrapped for the final shootout berth. Massa could only manage 12th position in the end and faces a difficult race from the midfield.

Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber set the pace during Friday's two practice sessions and continued with their stunning pace when it came to the crunch. Webber pushed his team-mate extremely hard and laid down a marker of 1m30.853s, but the German was able to surpass that with a 1m30.785s lap of his own to claim pole position.

Lewis Hamilton grabbed third but the British driver is carrying a five place grid penalty for a gearbox change, so Robert Kubica will start directly behind the Red Bulls, with the man in form - Fernando Alonso - fourth on the grid. Jenson Button starts today's race from fifth and will face attention from Nico Rosberg, while Williams continued its strong form with Barrichello starting seventh and Hulkenberg ninth.

Vettel leads Red Bull front row in Japan

Sunshine at last in Japan

Sunshine at last in Japan © LAT
Hello everyone and welcome back to AUTOSPORT Live on this 'Super Sunday' of Formula 1 action. Following a postponement yesterday, as heavy rains hit Suzuka, qualifying was rescheduled and took place just a few hours ago, with Sebastian Vettel claiming pole position for this afternoon's Japanese Grand Prix.

The teams have had minimal time to prepare for the race. Many of the drivers conducted media interviews after the session, then it was time for a quick debrief to discuss the set-up of the car and the strategy for the 53-lap race.

A bite to eat and a tour around the circuit during the drivers parade, in front of the adoring Japanese fans, used up more time, and suddenly the drivers find themselves with just one hour to go before the start as they move into their normal pre-race procedures.

The race begins at 06:00 GMT, but before then we will review this morning's qualifying session, bring you up to date with the latest weather forecast and take a look at some of the talking points going into the race.