Virgin's Jerome d'Ambrosio, as well as both HRT drivers, failed to qualify within the mandatory 7 per cent of Sebastian Vettel's pole time on the wet Belgian track.

And Michael Schumacher, on the 20th anniversary of his F1 debut at this circuit and wearing a special golden helmet, also failed to qualify after a rear wheel fell off his Mercedes in Q1.

The stewards however have ruled that all four may start Sunday's 2011 Belgian grand prix.  Weather forecasters are predicting a dry race.

On the Pastor Maldonado/Lewis Hamilton incident, the Williams driver has been demoted five grid positions for colliding with the McLaren after the checkered flag in Q2.

But alternate replay angles of the incident also showed Hamilton making a move towards the Venezuelan rookie, and so the 2008 world champion received a formal reprimand.