Monaco GP: Michael Schumacher quickest but Mark Webber on pole

According to BBC Sport, Red Bull's Mark Webber will be on pole position after losing out to the veteran German by 0.08 seconds.

Schumacher's team-mate Nico Rosberg was third ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Lotus's Romain Grosjean.

Jenson Button, 13th fastest, will start 12th after a grid penalty for Pastor Maldonado.

Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn said: "I have to admit I had a bit of a tear in my eye. He's faced some tough times since his comeback but he has been in good shape all weekend."

Schumacher added: "I'm more than thrilled to manage pole position here. It is the race you want to do well at and after what I have been through in the last two years it is just fabulous.

"It confirms what I have felt for a long time, but sometimes you have to put everything in the right moment together."

The top three drivers were covered by just 0.147 secs in an intense qualifying session, in which Ferrari's Fernando Alonso finished sixth.

The Spaniard will be the final person to be promoted following Schumacher's penalty, which was for running into the back of Williams driver Bruno Senna at the previous race in Spain.

Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa was seventh, ahead of Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen, Maldonado - who will start 24th after a 10-place grid penalty for his clash with Sergio Perez and a further five-place penalty for a gearbox change - and world championship leader Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull.

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