2011 German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix

Barrichello is another late arrival on the grid. He starts the race from 14th this afternoon.

Spots of rain continue to fall on the grid but the track conditions remain easily dry enough for slicks at the moment.

Fans

Motor racing fans love to debate and discuss the action on track, and the live forum at the bottom of the screen is your chance to let everyone know your thoughts on events as they unfold at the circuit.

• Can Hamilton do the unthinkable and beat the two Red Bulls in Vettel's back yard?

• Paul di Resta showed fine form in the early wet laps of the Canadian and British Grands prix. Will his talent come to the fore again today?

• How many pitstops for tyres do you think the leaders will make this afternoon? Given the forecast, we could be looking at another race like Donington 1993.

Tell the world what you think.

Click the SHOW LIVE FORUM link in the red bar at the bottom of your browser window if you'd like to join the debate.

Rosberg comes to a stop at the back of the grid and is pushed towards the sixth position.

Massa's Ferrari arrives on the grid and is pushed down to his fifth-place starting slot.

Here is the grid line-up for today's race: Pos Driver Team 1. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 5. Felipe Massa Ferrari 6. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 7. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 9. Vitaly Petrov Renault 10. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 11. Nick Heidfeld Renault 12. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 13. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 14. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 15. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 17. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 18. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 19. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 20. Karun Chandhok Lotus-Renault 21. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 22. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 23. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth * 24. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari ** * Five-place grid penalty for gearbox change ** Excluded from qualifying for fuel irregularity

Sebastien Buemi arrives on the grid and takes up his position at the rear of the field, following his exclusion from qualifying for fuel irregularities.

Rosberg is clear to go. He rolls out of the garage and down the pitlane.

Light rain is beginning to fall. Meantime, Rosberg is still in the garage while the Mercedes mechanics sort out the problem.

Rain arrived in the early hours of the morning and there was no let up until 09:00 local time. Since then, scattered showers have crossed the circuit and another heavy shower is due imminently.

Temperatures are extremely chilly at the circuit today thanks to a brisk westerly breeze and overcast conditions. A maximum ambient of just 13 degrees and track surface temperature also in the teens will not help in generating tyre temperature this afternoon - great news for racing enthusiasts.

Mark Webber trundles through the pitlane and back onto the circuit for another tour.

The Ferrari drivers head through the pitlane to take advantage of a practice start and a further lap to the grid.

A minor problem affecting Nico Rosberg. He climbs out of the car for a short time, before being given the all clear to jump back in again.

Timo Glock heads through the pitlane at the completion of one lap and heads back out onto the circuit.

Here's a reminder of the standings after nine rounds of the campaign: World Championship standings, round 9: Drivers: Constructors: 1. Sebastian Vettel 204 1. Red Bull-Renault 328 2. Mark Webber 124 2. McLaren-Mercedes 218 3. Fernando Alonso 112 3. Ferrari 164 4. Lewis Hamilton 109 4. Mercedes 68 5. Jenson Button 109 5. Renault 65 6. Felipe Massa 52 6. Sauber-Ferrari 33

Sebastian Vettel comes out to check the track conditions as he makes his way round to the grid.

The pitlane is now open for the drivers to make their reconnaissance laps to the grid. Several laps through the pitlane are expected.

Pole

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to AUTOSPORT Live for coverage of round 10 of this year's FIA Formula 1 world championship - the German Grand Prix from the Nurburgring.

Mark Webber leads the field away today after claiming a fine pole position in qualifying with a lap of 1m30.079s, but the plaudits were reserved for Lewis Hamilton, who put in a sensational lap to split the Red Bull drivers on the final run to snatch a front row start away from Sebastian Vettel.

Fernando Alonso lost out in the qualifying battle, having been right on the pace in free practice. He begins Ferrari's challenge from fourth with team-mate Felipe Massa fifth. Jenson Button endured a very difficult session and starts from a lowly seventh on the grid this afternoon.

Sebastien Buemi qualified 16th, but he was later excluded from the results for fuel irregularities. He therefore drops to the back of the field and will depart from the back row.