Ferrari managed to keep Mercedes from locking out the front row of the grid as Rosberg dropped to fourth with Hamilton taking another pole position. The German picked up a problem in his new power unit which saw him revert to the Spa-spec engine, which explained his gap to the championship leader. Further back, Mercedes-powered cars completed the top ten, with Williams, Force India and Lotus benefiting from their engine suppliers supremacy.

Sauber just missed out, with Marussia behind them and McLaren finishing 15th and 16th. The pair benefited themselves from the issues seen by Renault, with both Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen unable to make any dent in qualifying.