Ferrari takes pole for British Grand Prix

SILVERSTONE, England, July 7 (UPI) -- Ferrari's Fernando Alonso took the pole position for the British Grand Prix Saturday with a qualifying lap of 1 minute, 51.746 seconds.

Alonso, who had also turned in the fastest practice lap Saturday and is the Formula One points leader, edged Mark Webber of Red Bull by .047 seconds in the Q3 stint.

Alonso and the rest of the field had to contend with rainy weather that halted the proceedings for more than an hour.

"It was tricky conditions for everyone, and you have to be calm in some difficult moments," Alonso said. "In Q2, we were on the red flag … so it was not easy."

Alonso said a change of tires in Q3 by Ferrari and several other competitors helped stabilize the driving.