Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton claimed his fourth successive pole position to begin Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix on the front row, after producing a dramatic display in the closing moments of a wet qualifying session at Spa on Saturday.

The Briton clocked the top time of the day to see off competition from Red Bull duo Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, who finished the session second and third. Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg was fourth, while Force India's Paul di Resta ended fifth.

Lewis Hamilton will begin the Belgian Grand Prix on pole
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, flanked by Red Bull's Mark Webber (L) and Sebastian Vettel (Reuters)

Where to Watch Race Live

The race starts at 1pm BST, with Sky Sports F1 and BBC One/One HD providing live coverage in the UK. Radio commentary is available on BBC Radio 5 Live, and live and free text updates are available through the Live Timing section on the sport's official website.

Track Facts

  • Circuit Name: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
  • First F1 Race: 1925
  • Circuit Length: 7.004km
  • Number of Laps: 44
  • Race Distance: 308.052 km
  • Fastest Lap: Bruno Senna (Williams) 1:52.822
  • Most Wins: Ferrari (16)
  • 2012 Winner: Jenson Button (McLaren)
  • 2012 Pole: Jenson Button (McLaren)

Qualifying Review

Saturday saw a chaotic yet thrilling qualifying session, courtesy of the ever-changing weather and conditions at Spa. It appeared, for quite a long while, as if di Resta would claim his first ever F1 pole position, after Force India's gamble to go for intermediates at the start of a wet Q3 seemed to pay maximum dividends.

Di Resta's impressive lap of 2:02.332 proved unbeatable for the others till the very final stages as the track finally began to dry again. Rosberg, Webber, Vettel and finally Hamilton all beat the Scot's time very late in the day, demoting him from first to fifth in no time.

Hamilton was the final racer to go over the line in Q3 but the 28-year-old's last lap of 2:01.012 was good enough to earn him the top time of the day, edging out Vettel (2:01.200) by just two-tenths of a second.

McLaren's Jenson Button, who triumphed at Spa last year, finished further afield at sixth, but there was more misery for title contenders Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus and Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, who ended the session in an unimpressive eighth and ninth respectively.

Weather News

Early forecasts for the weekend suggested dry weather throughout the Grand Prix. However, Spa has always been notorious for rapidly changing weather conditions. And the rain on both Friday and Saturday appears to signal the possibility of showers today as well.

Top 10 Grid Positions

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
3. Mark Webber (Red Bull)
4. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
5. Paul di Resta (Force India)
6. Jenson Button (McLaren)
7. Romain Grosjean (Lotus)
8. Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
9. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
10. Felipe Massa (Ferrari)

India