Mercedes and Red Bull were the main contenders in Spanish Grand Prix qualifying on May 14. Verstappen qualified alongside Ricciardo for the first time since moving to Red Bull, while Ferrari finished outside the top four.
Archive photo of a monitor photographed during FP2 at the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix, showing television coverage of Alonso.
Rosberg and Hamilton occupied the top two positions in Q1 after completing one timed lap each. Verstappen and Ricciardo followed, with Ferrari’s Räikkönen and Vettel fifth and sixth.
Williams’ Massa was eliminated in Q1 in eighteenth, behind seventeenth-placed Palmer. The report suggested that the team appeared to have made a timing error. Both Saubers and both Manors also went out in the opening segment.
Hamilton set a 1:22.159 in Q2, 0.600 seconds faster than Rosberg’s 1:22.759. Verstappen, Ricciardo and both Ferraris also progressed to Q3.
Force India’s Hülkenberg was the last driver eliminated in Q2, his 1:24.203 just 0.011 seconds slower than Alonso. Alonso reached Q3, giving McLaren its first appearance in the final qualifying segment since 2014.
On the first Q3 runs, Hamilton locked his wheels at Turn 10 and ran wide, leaving Rosberg provisionally fastest with a 1:22.475. Verstappen set a 1:23.203, slightly faster than Hamilton’s first-run 1:23.277.
Hamilton set a 1:22.000 on his final lap to beat Rosberg to pole by 0.280 seconds. Rosberg was second on a 1:22.280 as Mercedes secured the front row.
Ricciardo took third with a 1:22.680 and Verstappen was fourth on a 1:23.087. Räikkönen and Vettel were fifth and sixth respectively. Sainz reached Q3 and finished eighth, while Alonso was tenth.
| Position | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:23.214 | 1:22.159 | 1:22.000 | 13 |
| 2 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:23.002 | 1:22.759 | 1:22.280 | 12 |
| 3 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:23.749 | 1:23.585 | 1:22.680 | 12 |
| 4 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:23.578 | 1:23.178 | 1:23.087 | 12 |
| 5 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:23.796 | 1:23.504 | 1:23.113 | 14 |
| 6 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:24.124 | 1:23.688 | 1:23.334 | 12 |
| 7 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 1:24.251 | 1:24.023 | 1:23.522 | 12 |
| 8 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 1:24.496 | 1:24.077 | 1:23.643 | 12 |
| 9 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1:24.698 | 1:24.003 | 1:23.782 | 16 |
| 10 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1:24.578 | 1:24.192 | 1:23.981 | 12 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Force India | 1:24.463 | 1:24.203 | — | 13 |
| 12 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 1:24.583 | 1:24.348 | — | 12 |
| 13 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:24.696 | 1:24.445 | — | 11 |
| 14 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:24.716 | 1:24.480 | — | 12 |
| 15 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 1:24.669 | 1:24.625 | — | 12 |
| 16 | 21 | Esteban Gutiérrez | Haas | 1:24.406 | 1:24.778 | — | 12 |
| 17 | 30 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1:24.903 | — | — | 6 |
| 18 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1:24.941 | — | — | 4 |
| 19 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1:25.202 | — | — | 8 |
| 20 | 12 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | 1:25.579 | — | — | 8 |
| 21 | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | Manor | 1:25.745 | — | — | 9 |
| 22 | 88 | Rio Haryanto | Manor | 1:25.939 | — | — | 9 |
