Alonso joy at second row slot

Alonso was just 0.001s slower than third placed Michael Schumacher of Ferrari, but is hoping to build on the progress the team has made so far this weekend.

"I am very happy, not just with qualifying but with our work throughout the day," said Alonso. "We had a good morning, trying lots of different set-ups, and we were always competitive in the wet. In qualifying, it was definitely a small advantage to be running towards the end of the session. The car was good and I didn't make any mistakes. To be fourth on the grid is a good starting point for tomorrow."

Alonso's team-mate Jarno Trulli was relieved to have set a time at all after shunting his race car at the chicane in the 15-minute warm-up session before qualifying. He took to the spare and qualified eighth.

"First of all, I need to say a big thank you to my mechanics, who did a brilliant job today," said Trulli. "I had to use the spare car, which was originally set up for Fernando, and the timed lap was my first in that car this weekend. Taking that into account, I think I can be pleased to be starting eighth tomorrow."