To further compound the 2014 runner up the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel was able to take a front row start away from Rosberg, who desperately needed to beat Hamilton in Qualifying today.
Rosberg said after Qualifying that he had tried to look after his tyres too much and therefore lost his rhythm. The German was also surprised by the pace of the two Ferraris as Kimi Raikkonen almost took third from Rosberg.
Kimi had been ahead of his team mate Vettel throughout Friday and indeed Qualifying. However Vettel whom has 2 poles and 2 wins at the Sakhia track was able to turn the tables in Q3 and jump ahead of the Fin who lost time in the last 2 sectors.
It was a mixed evening for Red Bull Racing as Daniel Ricciardo once again proved his pace with a solid 7th place. However his Russian team mate Daniil Kvyat was eliminated in Q1 after another poor qualifying session for the young Russian whom seems to be buckling under the pressure of being in the Red Bull.
It was also a mixed day for Lotus and Toro Rosso as both got 1 car into Q3 but Pastor Maldonado was eliminated in Q1 after brake issues and rookie Max Verstappen was knocked out in Q2 after complaining about his Renault Power Unit.
Sauber had a dissatisfied session as they failed to get a car into Q3 as both Felipe Nase and Marcus Ericsson were knocked out in Q2. However the Brazillian was 3 tenths quicker than the Swede whom is yet to beat his Nasr in a fair fight.
Manor Marussia had a good session with 19th and 18th for Will Stevens whom is comprehensively beating his team mate Roberto Merhi as the two battle at the back of the field.
But it looks like an interesting battle at the front as it could be a SIX horse race for the win if Williams' pace is as good as they think. But it was Lewis Hamilton who took the spoils in the desert with his first Bahrain Pole.
1. Lewis Hamilton 1:32.571
2. Sebastian Vettel
3. Nico Rosberg
4. Kimi Raikkonen
5. Valtteri Bottas
6. Felipe Massa
7. Daniel Ricciardo
8. Nico Hulkenberg
9. Carlos Sainz
10. Romain Grosjean
11. Sergio Perez
12. Felipe Nasr
13. Marcus Ericsson
14. Fernando Alonso
15. Max Verstappen
16. Pastor Maldonado
17. Daniil Kvyat
18. Will Stevens
19. Roberto Merhi
20. Jenson Button NO TIME SET