Live Commentary: Qualifying: Bahrain Grand Prix - as it happened

Everyone has their eyes on Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull ahead of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, but it was Nico Rosberg who came out of nowhere to grab pole position for Mercedes.

The German managed to finish second, ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in third place.

Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber finished fourth and fifth respectively, but a five-place demotion for the Mercedes man and a three-place penalty for the Australian sees them drop down the grid.

You can read how Rosberg took the second pole of his career below.

1.10pmWell that's the end of the qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which brings our coverage to an end for today. Thanks for stopping by, and come back tomorrow for what is always an exciting race.

1.05pmOf course, factor into that that Hamilton has a five-place grid penalty. So he will start in between Raikkonen and Button. Webber will also be demoted three places, which puts him in between Sutil and Raikkonen.

1.04pmTOP 10: Rosberg, Vettel, Alonso, Hamilton, Webber, Massa, Di Resta, Sutil, Raikkonen, Button.

1.03pmGreat effort from the German! Vettel could only manage second, while Alonso ended up third. So Mercedes and Red Bull will start on the front of the grid, with Ferrari third.

1.02pmNICO ROSBERG WILL START ON POLE FOR THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX

1.01pmThe chequered flag is out. Rosberg is the one on top, followed by Alonso, Hamilton and Webber.

12.59pmAll 10 cars are now on the track with over one minute remaining.

12.57pmOf those that came out, Rosberg was the fastest. Alonso, Hamilotn and Di Resta came next. The Force India was quite a bit off the pace, though.

12.55pmThere's still six cars yet to come out and set a time. Those out early are also back in the garage now. Slightly similar circumstances to last week, where the drivers were trying to save their tyres.

12.51pmThe lights go green for the start of Q3. The cars are straight out, headed by Paul di Resta.

12.49pmButton was heard celebrating on team radio after scraping through into Q3. It's a sign of the struggles McLaren have had at the start of this season.

12.47pmVettel, Rosberg, Webber, Raikkonen, Alonso, Di Resta, Hamilton, Massa Sutil and Button will contest the top-10 shootout.

12.45pmDRIVERS KNOCKED OUT: Grosjean, Perez, Ricciardo, Hulkenberg, Bottas, Vergne.

12.44pmSutil's final lap is good enough for a place in the top-10 shootout, as is Button's. However, Perez has been unable to get out of the knockout zone and drops out. His disappointing season continues here in Bahrain.

12.42pmButton has one lap now to get into Q3. He and his McLaren teammate Sergio Perez are struggling in the knockout zone.

12.41pmThe top four, Rosberg, Alonso, Di Resta and Hamilton, are all in the garage, seemingly content that they'll be in Q3.

12.40pmJust over two minutes left now. Button, Perez, Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Bottas and Vergne the slowest at the moment.

12.39pmRosberg shaves 0.449 of a second off Alonso's time at the top. Brilliant lap.

12.38pmThere was nearly a coming together there between Hulkenberg and Massa. The Ferrari just dawdled slightly as the German was making his way through. I'm sure the stewards will have a look at that one.

12.36pmAlonso has now set the quickest lap with just over six minutes of Q2 remaining. Ricciardo, Bottas and Vergne are currently in the danger zone.

12.34pmVettel was the fastest of the early starters, but Di Resta has just set a rapid lap to go top. Those two are followed by Webber, Raikkonen, Sutil, Hulkenberg, Ricciardo and Vergne.

12.32pmThe Marussia garage have got the fire extinguishers out for Jules Bianchi's car. The cause isn't clear at the moment, but the same car has a fuel vapour fire this morning, so there's a few problems there it seems.

12.28pmMark Webber is the first man out of the trap for Q2 on the medium compound tyres. He is followed by his teammate Sebastian Vettel.

12.26pmIt has not been a great session for Pastor Maldonado, who exits Q1 yet again. We're about to get the green light for Q2, so who will be in the top-10 shootout?

12.23pmDRIVERS KNOCKED OUT: Maldonado, Gutierrez, Pic, Bianchi, Van der Garde, Chilton.

12.21pmTime is up for Q1. Alonso is on top, with Vettel, Rosberg, Grosjean, Hamilton, Di Resta, Massa, Raikkonen, Webber and Sutil completing the top 10.

12.19pmDaniel Ricciardo and Pastor Maldonado have also joined those drivers currently in the drop zone. Lewis Hamilton has already received a five-place grid penalty for a change of gearbox.

12.18pmQ1 is underway and Fernando Alonso is on top of the standings. Charles Pic, Jules Bianchi, Max Chilton and Giemo van der Garde are all in the knockout zone.

12.16pmGood afternoon. Welcome to Sports Mole for live coverage of the qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Live Commentary: Qualifying: Bahrain Grand Prix - as it happened

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