F1 Spanish Grand Prix: Rosberg denies Hamilton pole position

After what was possibly his best performance so far this season at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg lead a 1-2 front-row lockout for Mercedes AMG F1 in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix; the fifth round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona today.

Rosberg's effort of 1:24.681 was 0.267 seconds clear of teammate and defending world champion Lewis Hamilton while Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel's best time in the final leg of the three-part knockout qualifying system was just over half-a-second behind Hamilton and a very clear 'best-of-the-rest'.

Following Vettel's surprise win at the Malaysian Grand Prix, it was suspected that Ferrari would have the edge over Mercedes in hotter conditions over the course of a race due to the characteristics of the scarlet car being easier on its rear tyres. However, at the Circuit de Catalunya where the track temperature was well in excess of 40 degrees centigrade, Ferrari looked unable to challenge reigning F1 champions Mercedes on long runs on Friday and were predictably slower over a single lap in qualifying.

Behind Vettel's Ferrari, Valtteri Bottas - a man rumoured to be on his way to the Italian squad soon - placed fourth in his Williams-Mercedes, ahead of Toro Rosso-Renault's Carlos Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen, the surprise package of qualifying.

Both Toro Rosso drivers managed to outqualify Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who once again fared poorly in qualifying but owing to his superior race pace and smooth driving style, he could be a factor for a podium place depending on how well he starts the race.

Daniel Kvyat's Red Bull-Renault, Felipe Massa's Williams-Mercedes and Kvyat's teammate Daniel Ricciardo - who had extremely limited running in Friday practice - rounded out the top ten in qualifying.

The McLaren-Hondas of Spanish motorsport idol Fernando Alonso and 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button failed to make it into the final segment of qualifying - placing 13th and 14th, respectively - but both drivers have asserted that the revival of the partnership between McLaren and Honda is progressing well.

Finishing in the points would not just be vindication of the partnership but also comparable to a podium in these days of extremely limited testing.

F1 Spanish Grand Prix - Qualifying(Top 10)

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1m 24.681s
2. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 1m 24.948s
3. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 1m 25.458s
4. Valtteri Bottas (Williams-Mercedes)1m 25.694s
5. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Toro Rosso-Renault) 1m 26.135s
6. Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso-Renault) 1m 26.249s
7. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1m 26.414s
8. Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull-Renault) 1m 26.629s
9. Felipe Massa (Williams-Mercedes) 1m 26.757s
10. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull-Renault) 1m 26.770s