MX23RW : Tuesday, December 24 01:29:21| >> :600:319618:319618:

Nico Rosberg claims pole position in Bahrain

Mercedes's Nico Rosberg will start the Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position after beating teammate Lewis Hamilton in qualifying.

Nico Rosberg has claimed pole position for tomorrow's Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing just ahead of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.

The 2008 world champion tried to edge ahead of the German late in the final part of qualifying, but drifted wide to miss out on pole for the first time this season.

Defending world champion Sebastian Vettel failed to secure a place in the top 10 for the second time this season, complaining of a problem with his gearbox as he finished 11th.

Daniel Ricciardo posted the third fastest time in the other Red Bull, but will drop back 10 places after picking up a grid penalty in Malaysia.

Williams had both cars reach the final part of qualifying, with Valtteri Bottas finishing fourth, while Felipe Massa came in eighth.

Nico Hulkenberg looked strong in Q1 for Force India, but was unable to maintain his pace to reach Q3. However, his teammate Sergio Perez was fifth fastest and will move up to fourth following Ricciardo's demotion.

Towards the back of the grid, Kamui Kobayashi posted the best time in the battle between the Caterhams and Marussia, finishing just ahead of Jules Bianchi.

1. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
3. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
4. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
5. Sergio Perez (Force India)
6. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
7. Jenson Button (McLaren)
8. Felipe Massa (Williams)
9. Kevin Magnussen (McLaren)
10. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
11. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)
13. Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso
14. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso)
15. Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber)
16. Romain Grosjean (Lotus)
17. Pastor Maldonado (Lotus)
18. Adrian Sutil (Sauber)
19. Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham)
20. Jules Bianchi (Marussia)
21. Marcus Ericsson (Caterham)
22. Max Chilton (Marussia)

ID:148260: cacheID:148260:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4108:
Written by
Sian Cowper
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes GP prepares to drive during practise for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix on March 15, 2014
Read Next:
Lewis Hamilton completes practice clean sweep
>
rhs 2.0


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!