Ferrari's challenge to the drivers championship co-leaders hit a setback when BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld claimed third place on the grid with a time of 1:16.266, pushing Kimi Raikkonen into fourth with his time of 1:16.411 and Felipe Massa (1:16.570) to fifth.

Hamilton had clocked his best time on his final lap but with Alonso behind him on the track, the Spaniard looked to be on course to snatch pole right at the end.

He had gone quicker than the young Briton over the first two sectors but the third and final sector saw his challenge slip away.

Heidfeld had sewn the seeds for his quick qualifying time in the previous session, when he secured third place in Q2.

But earlier in that session the German's time of 1:16.519 had been deleted by stewards after he appeared to cut out a chicane.

He rendered the decision irrelevant by promptly turning in a 1:15.960 to claim third place in Q2 behind the McLarens, with Hamilton fastest and Alonso second.

David Coulthard had been having braking problems in his Red Bull and he was eliminated after Q2 alongside Toro Rosso's Scott Speed and Tonio Liuzzi, Takuma Sato of Super Aguri, and Honda pair Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.

Raikkonen had gone quickest in the first session, edging out both Alonso and Hamilton with Massa fourth.

Heikki Kovalainen's nightmare continued during the opening qualifying session, when he lost his rear wing after finding the wall at turn four, bringing a red flag out for the second session in a row.

During morning practice engine failure left his Renault spilling oil on the track and the day before he hit a wall.

Unsurprisingly he had one of the bottom six times to be eliminated after Q1, alongside Anthony Davidson, Ralf Schumacher and Alexander Wurz as well as perennial back markers Adrian Sutil and Christian Albers of Spyker.

Hamilton was understandably delighted with his maiden pole position after a superb qualifying session.

He said: "I feel fantastic, I've never felt so good, so I'm looking forward to the race.

"It's been a fantastic day and really a fantastic weekend. The team has done a fantastic job and I got the pace from the rest and it really came down to this.

"We had to pull it out at the last minute and it's not easy, especially when you have a two-time world champion hunting you down.

"But I did it, I stayed strong today and I owe it to the team and I'm really happy with it.

"I was so chuffed when I came across the line and they told me I was P1 (in first place)."

Alonso, who will start the race from second in the grid, was in line to pip Hamilton to pole position after going faster than the Briton through the first two sectors of his final lap in qualifying. Then a mistake at the L'Epingle hairpin cost him dearly.

He said: "I was running a little bit off line and got some marbles in the tyre. I lost three-tenths in that corner and then there was no point to risk anything.

"I completed the lap safe enough to bring the car home and the first row will be enough for today and tomorrow I will have another chance to try and win the race."