Felipe Massa feels certain he could have beaten Williams team-mate Valtteri Bottas to fourth on the grid in Spain had he not made a costly error in Q3.
Massa finished ahead of the Finn in Q1 and Q2 but could only manage a 1:26.757 in the all-important final segment, which was seven tenths down on his best from the middle session. That mistake left him stuck between the Red Bulls in ninth, something made all the more frustrating by the fact Bottas got himself to within two tenths of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel on the second row.
"I am so disappointed for Q3 because things were going pretty well," Massa said. "We had a little issue in Q2 that I didn't have a very clean lap on the first set of tyres, so the team was a bit afraid and wanted me to go again, but it was not necessary because it was enough to pass.
"Then I just had one set for Q3 and the wind started to pick up, so I got to corner three and the wind pushed me a little wide and I didn't want to back off, but when I touched the green part on the exit, it pushed completely off the track and I lost maybe eight tenths. Then I got to corner four with dirty tyres, I just had a problem on the whole lap. Unfortunately because qualifying was going very well and we were going to start with both cars in the top five, but I am ninth. It is not good but we need to concentrate on tomorrow."
When asked if he could have beaten Bottas without the mistake, he replied: "For sure, I was strong during Q1 and Q2, I am sure it would have been possible. Ahead of Sebastian, I don't think so. Maybe fourth or fifth, we would be there in the fight."