First qualifying: Webber fastest!

The degree of wetness fluctuated throughout the session and was slightly drier in the closing minutes, when Webber ran, but nothing should detract from a fabulous performance from the gritty Aussie.

Webber's 1m23.111s lap knocked home hero Rubens Barrichello (1m23.249s) from the top of the pile after the Ferrari driver had done a superb job running fourth in the session.

"It feel's great," Webber said. "I was even a bit conservative in the last sector of the lap because I knew the first and second sectors were pretty good and I didn't want to mess up. The car was working well on the tyres and I'm delighted I managed to put the lap together."

Despite the McLaren-inspired petition to halt the Friday session, which came to nought as conditions improved, both Ron Dennis's men were competitive even running first and second on the wet track. Malaysian winner Kimi Raikkonen (1m24.607s) ended up third fastest, ahead of team mate David Coulthard (1m24.655s).

World champion Michael Schumacher, a wet weather maestro, had to be content with fifth quickest (1m25.585s) as the rain intensified towards the end of Fernando Alonso's run, just in time to catch out the five times champion. Alonso (1m26.203s) himself ended up ninth. Olivier Panis went last of all, after Webber, and the Frenchman's 1m25.614s lap, while good enough for sixth, emphasised just what a fine job Webber had done.

Behind Panis came Jacques Villeneuve (1m25.672s) in the only BAR-Honda to set a time, after team-mate Jenson Button lost it out of Turn Four and spectacularly destroyed the polystyrene 100m braking marker at Turn Five! The BAR's wing was damaged in the incident and Button trailed into the pits. He will run first in whatever conditions greet the drivers tomorrow.

Antonio Pizzonia (1m25.674s) completed a fine afternoon for Jaguar with the eighth fastest time, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen (1m26.375s) completed the top 10 in the Sauber.

Williams had a disappointing session with Ralf Schumacher 13th (1m26.709s) and Juan Pablo Montoya (1:27.961) down in 17th slot after overdoing it on the entry to Turn Six and taking to the concrete run-off area, costing himself three seconds in the process.

Giancarlo Fisichella (1m26.726s) - normally a wet weather ace - could only manage 14th in the first Jordan, with team mate Ralph Firman 1.3s adrift and four slots further back. Jos Verstappen (1m26.886s) was a solid 15th for European Minardi, with Justin Wilson (1m28.317s) in 19th position.