Hamilton on pole following penalty for Alonso

Lewis Hamilton will start in pole position for today's Hungarian Grand Prix following a five-place grid penalty imposed on Fernando Alonso.

Alonso's explanation as to why he remained in his pit box for an additional 10 seconds after being cleared to exit, leaving Hamilton queuing behind him, has not been accepted by stewards.

McLaren's explanation as to why they held Alonso for 20 seconds prior to that was also dismissed following a lengthy hearing by the stewards, culminating in a points penalty.

It means McLaren will not collect any constructors' points from the race, although they compete under appeal as they hope to have the decision overturned at a later date.

Nick Heidfeld will start alongside Hamilton on the front row for BMW Sauber, with Kimi Raikkonen third in his Ferrari.

Nico Rosberg starts fourth for Williams, with the Toyota of Ralf Schumacher fifth, while Alonso is now sixth.

Giancarlo Fisichella will start from 13th on the grid after also being handed a five-place penalty.

The Renault driver was accused of unnecessarily impeding another driver, Spyker's Sakon Yamamoto, during Saturday's qualifying session.

Fisichella will now start from 13th after provisionally claiming eighth at the end of a dramatic qualifying period.