1. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari 67laps 1hr 27m 38.864s
2. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 04.1s
3. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault +00m 05.1s
4. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +00m 26.8s
5. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes +00m 29.4s
6. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +00m 43.6s
7. Robert Kubica Poland Renault-Renault +1 lap
8. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes +1 lap
9. Michael Schumacher Germany Mercedes-Mercedes +1 lap
10. Vitaly Petrov Russia Renault-Renault +1 lap

11. Kamui Kobayashi Japan BMW Sauber-Ferrari +1 lap
12. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Williams-Cosworth +1 lap
13. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Williams-Cosworth +1 lap
14. Pedro de la Rosa Spain BMW Sauber-Ferrari +1 lap
15. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
16. Vitantonio Liuzzi Italy Force India-Mercedes +2 laps
17. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes +2 laps
18. Timo Glock Germany Virgin-Cosworth +3 laps
19. Bruno Senna Brazil HRT-Cosworth +4 laps

Rtd Heikki Kovalainen Finland Lotus-Cosworth 56 laps completed
Rtd Lucas di Grassi Brazil Virgin-Cosworth 50 laps completed
Rtd Sakon Yamamoto Japan HRT-Cosworth 19 laps completed
Rtd Jarno Trulli Italy Lotus-Cosworth 3 laps completed
Rtd Sebastien Buemi Switzerland Toro Rosso-Ferrari 0 laps completed

Fastest lap:

Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 1m 15.824s lap 67

Sebastian Vettel posted the quickest time when it really mattered to secure pole for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim – giving the Red Bull man his third successive pole position and sixth of the 2010 season.

As anticipated, the battle for pole came down to a straight fight between Red Bull and Ferrari after the two teams led the way through the three free practice sessions.

Fernando Alonso led the way through both Q1 and Q2 as he looked to secure a first pole for Ferrari since 2008 and the Spaniard set the early benchmark in Q3 before the drivers elected to pit for fresh tyres ahead of one final run for pole.

Vettel headed onto the circuit for his final run ahead of the other drivers in contention for pole and stormed to a best time of 1min 13.791secs to move to the head of the pack. Alonso however was still coming quickly behind and took the chequered flag just 0.002secs behind the German.

While that prevented Alonso from securing pole, the Spaniard was able to console himself in the fact that second still marks his best qualifying performance of the season.

The top two proved to be in a class of their own as the only two drivers to lap below the 1min 14secs marker, with Felipe Massa third but half a second back. Mark Webber meanwhile had to settle for fourth place, with his hope of fighting for pole coming to an end when he ran wide exiting turn one on his final quick lap and was forced to abort his run.

McLaren proved to be best of the rest with Jenson Button managing to outqualify Lewis Hamilton for the first time since the Chinese Grand Prix back in April. Despite struggling with the balance of his car during practice, Button was able to lap a tenth of a second quicker than Hamilton, while Robert Kubica followed the pair in seventh for Renault.

Rubens Barrichello was eighth for Williams as the team got both cars through to Q3, with Nico Hulkenberg in tenth. Countryman Nico Rosberg was ninth and split the Williams duo although he was unable to match the kind of performance shown by the Mercedes team during practice.

The performance of Mercedes was one of the big disappointments of the session as Rosberg’s team-mate Michael Schumacher failed to make it through to Q3. The seven-time champion found himself on the bubble in the closing stages of Q2 and was knocked out by Hulkenberg to leave him eleventh on the grid, just ahead of the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi.

Sebastian Vettel has clinched pole position for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix after edging out Red Bull team mate Mark Webber around Albert Park. Fernando Alonso will start third for Ferrari, alongside the McLaren of Jenson Button, whose team mate Lewis Hamilton was only 11th.

Felipe Massa qualified fifth for Ferrari, ahead of the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.

Ferrari has announced that double F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso is to join the team alongside the recovering Felipe Massa from 2010 onwards, in-place of Kimi Raikkonen and on a three-year deal reputed to be worth as much as €25 million per season.

The worst-kept secret in the F1 paddock was unveiled ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka – a race in which Alonso has twice triumphed, albeit on one of those occasions at Fuji – and BBC Sport reports that the deal was actually signed all the way back in July, 2008, according to sources close to the Maranello-based outfit. There are understood to be options to extend the agreement, which will see the Spaniard earn between €19 million and €25 million a year.

Whilst praising Alonso as an ‘amazing talent’, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali made a point of thanking Raikkonen – who most believe to be McLaren-bound in 2010 in-place of countryman Heikki Kovalainen, returning to the team with whom he competed in the top flight for five years from 2002 to 2006 – for his efforts and performances over the past three seasons, at the end of the first of which the Finn defeated Alonso and Lewis Hamilton to lift the drivers’ crown.

“We are very proud to welcome to our team another winning driver, who has demonstrated his amazing talent by winning two world championships in his career to-date,” stated the Italian. “Of course, we wish to thank Kimi for everything he has done during his time with Ferrari. In his first year with us he managed to win the drivers’ title, thus making his contribution to Ferrari’s history, and he played a vital role in our taking of the constructors’ title in 2007 and 2008.

“Even during a difficult season like this one, he has demonstrated his great talent, with several good results, including a great win at Spa. We are sure that we can share more good times together in the final three races of this season.”

Raikkonen had to be bought out of his pre-existing 2010 contract with the Scuderia in order to negotiate an early release to accommodate his replacement, and the 18-time grand prix-winner confessed that it would be an emotional departure.

“I am very sad to be leaving a team with which I have spent three fantastic years,” the 29-year-old commented. “With common consent, we have agreed to terminate the contract binding me to Ferrari to the end of 2010, one year ahead of schedule. I have always felt at home with everyone here, and I will have many happy memories of my time with the team.”

The Alonso/Ferrari deal has been revealed earlier than planned due to the mounting paddock speculation on the matter. Renault managing director Jean-François Caubet had already hinted in Singapore that the Enstone-based concern had lost the 21-time grand-prix winner, admitting that ‘Fernando will miss Renault and Renault will miss Fernando’ as he alluded to the fact that the Oviedo native has spent all-but two of his eight seasons in F1 with the French manufacturer, becoming both the sport’s youngest-ever race-winner and world champion with the Régie, records he has since surrendered to respectively Sebastian Vettel and former team-mate Hamilton. Both of his drivers’ titles were similarly achieved with the team.

The belated confirmation is also likely to unlock the driver market, with current BMW-Sauber incumbent Robert Kubica widely anticipated to fill his fellow poker player’s shoes at Renault.

Massa, for his part, is continuing to recover at home in Brazil from the head and eye injuries sustained in the accident he suffered during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring back in late July, when the São Paulista was struck on the helmet at high speed by a suspension spring that had flown off the rear of the Brawn GP of compatriot Rubens Barrichello just ahead of him on the track.

Hopes that the 2008 world championship runner-up will return to action fit and ready in time for the 2010 F1 campaign have been boosted by the news that earlier this week the 28-year-old got behind the wheel of a go-kart for the first time since his accident, and is due to fly to Italy to test Ferrari’s simulator next week.

Massa’s current stand-in Giancarlo Fisichella will remain at Ferrari as reserve driver in 2010, with Spanish banking giant Santander coming on-board as a key sponsor.