Spain – Qualifying: Rosberg on pole and an all-Mercedes front row!

The Catalan sky is dotted with a few clouds, but it is under dry and rather fine weather that the fifth qualifying session of the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship season will take place, the first to be held in Europe for this 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. 36°C in the air and 20°C on the track, accompanied by a fairly strong wind, are the conditions the drivers will face before setting off.

Q1: After nearly four minutes of waiting, it is Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) who is the first to take off, followed by the poleman and 2012 winner, Pastor Maldonado, driving his Williams. The Australian sets the first benchmark time at 1:24.100, quickly outpaced by his teammate Jean-Eric Vergne, who improves by almost seven-tenths.

The Lotus cars are out, they are the first top team on track. Kimi Räikkönen logically takes the lead with a 1:23.087, followed by his teammate Romain Grosjean, just a tenth behind. The laps of the black and gold cars, on hard tires, are not flawless. Fernando Alonso exits the pits and sets the provisional best time with a 1:22.264. Felipe Massa falls short by two tenths compared to his teammate.

Six minutes from the end of Q1, the McLarens, Mercedes, and Red Bulls come out in medium tires. The top 5, without them, consists of Alonso, Massa, Räikkönen, Sutil (Force India), and Grosjean. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) takes the lead in 1:21.913, surpassed by the other Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton by less than two-tenths. The two Silver Arrows are ahead of the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel. On track for a very good lap, Räikkönen is hindered by Esteban Gutierrez’s Sauber in the last sector. He still manages to take fourth position. At the back, the two Williams are not having the same party as last year, as both are eliminated in Q1.

Eliminated in Q1: Bottas, Maldonado, Van der Garde, Bianchi, Chilton, and Pic.

Q2: Gutierrez is the first to hit the Catalan track for the second part of the qualifications. The Mexican sets the first time but is outpaced by his teammate, Nico Hülkenberg, who posts a 1:22.708. Räikkönen clocks in at 1:21.676 and takes the lead. Rosberg falls short by three tenths from the Finn. However, Alonso improves by 30 hundredths and takes P1. Massa and Grosjean complete the provisional top 5.

There are five minutes left in this Q2. The two Red Bulls return to the track after a first stint below the potential of the RB9. Vettel sets the fastest time at 1:21.602 and Webber the fourth. In the final seconds, Hamilton sets the best time at 1:21.001, six-tenths ahead of Vettel. Behind them, Jenson Button (McLaren) misses out and will start from the 14th position. Vergne and Ricciardo fail to make it to Q3.

Eliminated in Q2: Ricciardo, Vergne, Sutil, Button, Hülkenberg, and Gutierrez.

Q3: Räikkönen opens the ball for this last part of the qualifying session. He is followed by Grosjean, Rosberg, and the two Ferraris. The Finn sets the first benchmark time at 1:21.539, but Rosberg beats it by seven-tenths! Alonso, Massa, and Grosjean all miss the German’s time by four-tenths, in that order. The Red Bulls have not set out, nor have Hamilton’s Mercedes, Pérez’s McLaren, and Di Resta’s Force India.

Vettel starts the final round of timed laps, everyone is on track. The triple world champion sets the second fastest time, while Rosberg consolidates his first place. Hamilton clocks in at 1:20.972 and takes second place! No one does better behind, resulting in an all-Mercedes front row! Alonso fails to improve his position and thus takes the fifth place.

Nico Rosberg thus secures the third pole position of his career, his second consecutive after Bahrain. It is the 12th pole position in Mercedes’ history. He will start ahead of Hamilton, Vettel, Räikkönen, and Alonso tomorrow.

Results of the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix qualifying: