Nico Rosberg broke team-mate Lewis Hamilton’s run of pole positions for the first time this season to secure the top spot for the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver was over two-tenths quicker than Hamilton as he posted a best of 1:24.681, though the Mercedes remain clear of the competition with more than a half second advantage.
Sebastian Vettel was third for Ferrari, several places ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen in seventh. The Finn’s qualifying performances continue to cause him difficulty.
Valtteri Bottas shares the second row with Vettel, ahead of the Toro Rosso duo of Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen, both impressing hugely on Saturday.
Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat starts eighth ahead of the second Williams of Felipe Massa, whilst Daniel Ricciardo completed the top ten.
Lotus complete the sixth row with Romain Grosjean leading Pastor Maldonado, whilst McLaren control row seven – the first time both have made it through to Q2 this season.
Force India struggled in Spain with a lack of upgrades clearly showing. The pair failed to escape Q1 alongside both Manor cars with Will Stevens leading Roberto Merhi.
| # | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
| 01. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:26.490 | 1:25.166 | 1:24.681 |
| 02. | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:26.382 | 1:25.740 | 1:24.948 |
| 03. | S. Vettel | Ferrari | 1:27.534 | 1:26.167 | 1:25.458 |
| 04. | V. Bottas | Williams | 1:27.262 | 1:26.197 | 1:25.694 |
| 05. | C. Sainz | Toro Rosso | 1:26.773 | 1:26.475 | 1:26.136 |
| 06. | M. Verstappen | Toro Rosso | 1:27.393 | 1:26.441 | 1:26.249 |
| 07. | K. Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1:26.637 | 1:26.016 | 1:26.414 |
| 08. | D. Kvyat | Red Bull | 1:27.833 | 1:26.889 | 1:26.629 |
| 09. | F. Massa | Williams | 1:27.165 | 1:26.146 | 1:26.757 |
| 10. | D. Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:27.611 | 1:26.692 | 1:26.770 |
| 11. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | 1:27.383 | 1:27.375 | |
| 12. | P. Maldonado | Lotus | 1:27.281 | 1:27.450 | |
| 13. | F. Alonso | McLaren | 1:27.941 | 1:27.760 | |
| 14. | J. Button | McLaren | 1:27.813 | 1:27.854 | |
| 15. | F. Nasr | Sauber | 1:27.625 | 1:28.005 | |
| 16. | M. Ericsson | Sauber | 1:28.112 | ||
| 17. | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:28.365 | ||
| 18. | S. Perez | Force India | 1:28.442 | ||
| 19. | W. Stevens | Manor | 1:31.200 | ||
| 20. | R. Merhi | Manor | 1:32.038 |
