Barcelona: Ferrari started Spanish Grand Prix qualifying by daring to believe it could end Mercedes' run of four straight pole positions. It ended qualifying by wondering why it couldn't even make it to the second row.
Not only was Ferrari far off the pace set by Mercedes, but it was also outrun by the two Red Bulls.
Sebastian Vettel, who had been running close to the Mercedes all weekend long, will start only sixth in Sunday's race, just behind teammate Kimi Raikkonen.
Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene was surprised, saying the team would have to "check" what went wrong.
"I don't know what happened," Vettel said. "I think the gap to Mercedes is bigger than it has been all weekend. So clearly we didn't get it right."
Lewis Hamilton took pole with a time more than a second faster than both Ferraris.
"For sure I didn't expect to be that far off, especially because this morning we had a good rhythm," Vettel said. "I didn't get the feeling that I had earlier today, and couldn't nail the laps."
Vettel led the way in the first practice session on Friday and was only one tenth of a second slower than Nico Rosberg in the final practice before qualifying on Saturday.
"It was not an easy day," Raikkonen said. "We did our best, but the result is a bit disappointing. Obviously it's not where we want to be."
Red Bull surprised with Daniel Ricciardo qualifying third and teammate Max Verstappen fourth.
"I thought maybe one of us could sneak in ... and split the Ferraris, but to both be in front is really cool," Ricciardo said.
It will be only the fourth time in the last two seasons that neither Raikkonen nor Vettel start from the front two rows.
"We will focus on the start, first lap and then there is a long race, and lot of things we can do," Vettel said. "Usually there are several pit stops here so we can play with the strategy and pass people that are slower than us. I have high hopes for tomorrow."
Rosberg leads the championship after winning every race this season.
