BBC Sportmotorsport

Final positions in Valencia:

1. Massa (Ferrari)

2. Hamilton (McLaren)

3. Kubica (BMW Sauber)

4. Raikkonen (Ferrari)

5. Kovalainen (McLaren)

6. Vettel (Toro Rosso)

7. Trulli (Toyota)

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By Sarah Holt

1406: "Credit where it's due, Massa has done a very good job when it counted. I'm glad that Lewis finally put the lap together and that's pretty much the best the car had. It should be a fascinating race and maybe Kubica will be the dark horse, but Massa has put himself in the very best position he can."
BBC 5 Live analyst Anthony Davidson

1405: A late dash from Kubica sees him move up to third and he will line up on the second row alongside Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari. Kovalainen will start in fifth for McLaren with long-time pace-setter Vettel in sixth for Toro Rosso.

1400: Hamilton sets a provisional pole in 1:39.199 but he is quickly surpassed by Massa in 1:38.989 as the drivers dive for the line.

Massa take pole for the European Grand Prix

1358: Hamilton goes fastest through the first sector only for Vettel to go even faster. But before I even have time to type . . . Raikkonen goes fastest still. The fight is really on now for pole.

1357: Massa switches to soft tyres but Raikkonen stays on the harder option. The harder option does seem to be working better on the Valencia circuit. Looks like there is one flying lap left for the drivers out there.

1355: Another flurry of activity in Valencia. The upshot of which is that Ferrari's Felipe Massa lays down a hot lap of 1:39.371 to jump to the top of the timesheets. Hamilton had a little wobble through Turn 22 and that sees him lie down in fourth. The McLaren man returns for another set of soft tyres and some more fuel.

1352: The first man out is super-fast Italian Trulli in his Toyota. He's followeed by the two Toro Rossos, who impressively have both qualified for Q3. Raikkonen and Hamilton soon join them out on the track.

1351: Almost ready for the final top 10 shootout. Still no idea who'll take pole. I'm expecting a late surprise.

1350: "A disappointing run by Alonso, pretty over-confident driving.....a bad run indeed for the Spanish fans' money."
Madnizz on 606

1344: Gloom for the Spanish fans in Valencia as home favourite Alonso is bumped out of qualifying by late surges from Nakajima and Heidfeld. The BMW Sauber drivers does enough to climb up to third which eventually bumps Nakajima out of the top 10. So, Alonso (Renault), Nakajima (Williams) are squeezed along with Glock (Toyota), Webber (Red Bull) and Piquet (Renault). It looks like Alonso blew his chances when he ran wide at Turn Three - uh-oh.

1341: Massa climbs up to second for Ferrari but can't overhaul Vettel but there's no improvement for Raikkonen. He won't be happy with that.

1339: The clock is ticking down and most drivers are back in the pits for new tyres and last-minute instructions. Those lingering in the drop zone at the minute are Webber, Piquet, Heidfeld, Glock and Alonso. A sudden burst of noise means the cars are back out on the track with grey skies over head.

1336: Hamilton lies in third after his first effort. This is one of the most topsy-turvy qualifying sessions of the season with Vettel and Trulli sitting on the top of the standings and the Ferrari's struggling in fifth and sixth.

1333: Hmmmm, Raikkonen clocks a decent time of 1:38.276 but he is soon overtaken by Kovalainen by Vettel in the Toro Rosso and Kubica's BMW Sauber.

1329: Raikkonen is the first man out on the track at the start of the new session. The world champion might be out to avoid any impending wet weather or he might just want to get on with the job after finishing 13th in the first session. The Ferrari man will be looking for much more this weekend if he is to challenge for the chequered flag on Sunday.

1327: "From only two laps this morning at a brand new circuit that was very, very impressive from Jarno Trulli. It looked like hard work for Massa but Kubica seems confident on limited laps. Lewis still looks a bit edgy but you never know he might still be running on heavier fuel."
BBC 5 Live analyst and former F1 driver Anthony Davidson

1323: Sutil (Force India), Barrichello (Honda), Fisichella (Force India), Coulthard (Red Bull) and Button (Honda) all go out. That is particularly hard luck for Button as he looked like he was flying out there and a lap of 1:38.880 is just not quite good enough to go through to the second session.

1320: It's all change at the top of the standings, first Massa goes fastest, then Vettel and then Trulli. Looks like the track is really starting to warm up now.

1317: News from the BMW Sauber pits say Kubica, who is lying in 10th, is reporting that he is struggling with his car, in particular its proximity to the ground which is causing it to scrape along the tarmac more often. A bit of a worry you'd have to think.

1312: OK let's check in with those in the drop zone. Honda's Rubens Barrichello is propping up the standings following by the Force Indias of Sutil and Fisichella, Nick Heidfeld's BMW Sauber and Piquet's Renault. Barrichello tries to set another hot lap but he is really struggling and is still three seconds off the pace of the man in front of him, a certain Mr Sutil.

1310: Kimi Raikkonen sets the new fastest time through the first sector of the track but looks like his tyres haven't quite warmed up enough yet as he slots into fifth in the standing with about nine minutes remaining.

1307: There's plenty of action on the track and Lewis Hamilton is getting the best of it as he leaps to the top of the timesheets with a time of 1:38.464. It looks like the hard tyres are the tyre of choice at the moment.

1303: Piquet is the first man over the Astilleros Bridge which has been welded shut to make sure there are no stability problems. Or in fact to make sure it doesn't suddenly swing open.

1300: The first man out is.... Renault's Nelson Piquet. He's followed by Toyota's Jarno Trulli, who hasn't changed his gearbox despite problems during final practice so he won't face a penalty. Next out is Force India's Giancarlo Fiscihella.

1253: The circuit is like a guessing game...very unpredictable.
Huhuhuguy on 606

1248: Anyway, you don't have to listen to my waffle; here's what some of the drivers say:

Fernando Alonso (Renault): "The first day was difficult for everybody, especially to get the braking points. It's very hard on the brakes."

Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari): "I like driving this track. It is different to other street circuits we have had and I thought it would be fun. I think overtaking will be difficult, as always.

Lewis Hamilton (McLaren): "Considering the dustiness of the track, we made a very promising start on the set-up."

1242: I, for one, am hoping this qualifying session will tell us more about the new circuit in Valencia and what it takes to master it. It's officially called a street circuit with F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone dubbing it the "modern Monaco". But the drivers seem to be in disagreement about whether it is a true street race or whether it's just a race track built on the edge of a marina. Either way it's sure to throw up some surprises with tight concrete barriers, some fast corners and straights and few run-off areas.

1237: "It seems the only way to win the race one has to start in front, if it's a safety car-free race. Otherwise it's going to be a lottery."
Arkimsa on 606

1230: My sources tell me there's some major sporting action going on in Beijing but I'm pretty certain this weekend is all about a new sporting event taking place in Spain.

After a three-week summer holiday, those pesky drivers are getting some more sea and sunshine in Valencia which is making its Formula One debut as host venue for the European Grand Prix.

All the drivers are having to cope with the idiosyncrasies of the circuit for the first time and practice hasn't really thrown up any real clues as to who is the fastest learner.

BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica went quickest over the two days, clocking one minute 38.754 seconds.

World championship leader Lewis Hamilton had a couple of wobbles in his practice runs and set the seventh fastest time in final practice.

So the race for pole position could be wide open, what do you think?

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