An impressive Resta had taken his Force India round in 1m 24.304s in Q3.
The 26-year-old British driver had received a five-place penalty after Force India opted to change the gearbox on his car, VJM05, here. Di Resta, currently 15th in the drivers' championship on 28 points, had not completed a minimum of five races with the gearbox as the rules stipulate.
However, there was disappointment in store for Resta's team mate and German driver, Nico Hulkenberg, who was eliminated almost immediately when his car was hit by technical issues and he had to abandon.
Hulkenberg's VJM05 stopped with a fuel-pressure issue before he had even done a timed lap, leaving him 24th.
Resta, after the practice session, said, "I'm very happy with my Q3 lap, which was my quickest lap so far - so we maximised it when it mattered. I think the entire team has done an excellent job to get us in this position."
"I knew I was going to have a grid penalty for the gearbox change, which is frustrating, but at least I will start inside the top ten. The challenge now is to make sure we have the race pace and use the strategy to come away with points," he added. (More)