Start and strategy will be key - Verstappen

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For the third time this season since his arrival at Red Bull Racing in Spain, Max Verstappen out qualified team mate Daniel Ricciardo.

The young Dutchman will head the second row of tomorrow's grid behind the Silver Arrows duo of Rosberg and Hamilton, but was only relatively happy with his pace Saturday afternoon.

"Of course we always want to be in front but somehow, in the low speed corners, it didn't really work out for us, and that's where we are normally very strong" said Max.

"Perhaps it was the temperatures, we still have to analyse it but in the end we're not too far off."

Verstappen complained early on in Q3 of 'gear-sync' problems which he later explained were a consequence of his manhandling the car over the curbs. But overall, he emphasized his car's very good balance.

"It was quite a hard hit, so I decided to not do it that hard [on the last qualifying lap]. The first sector was very good, I was only 0.03s from the fastest sector time there, so we can't complain there but like I said, at low speed we could have been a bit better."

Ferrari appears to be snapping at Red Bull's heels in terms of race pace, but Verstappen remains confident of Red Bull keeping the upper hand over the Scuderia, although he insisted that it will be close.

"I'm not really surprised by Ferrari, they've been close the whole weekend as you can see in qualifying, and of course on this track it's not easy to overtake so I think it will all about strategy between the three teams.

"Mercedes will be a little bit faster than us, but between us and Ferrari it will be very close."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.