Di Resta clocked 1:36.317 to finish 15th in the second qualifying session (Q2), a place ahead of his teammate Hulkenberg ( 1:36.745).
HRT's Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan finished 24th and last, clocking 1 minute 41 seconds in the Q1 qualifying session and he will start last on the grid in the 12th row tomorrow.
Di Resta rued that a gain of fraction of a second would have resulted a better position on the grid.
"It was a very close qualifying session, especially Q2 where finding a few tenths could have gained us another five places on the grid. My Q2 lap was good and I think I got the maximum from the car, but it only puts me P15, six tenths off the fastest time of the session," said the Briton.
"I'm still optimistic for the race because the car seems dialled in to the track and we looked strong during the long runs yesterday so I think we can race with the teams ahead of us," he added.
Hulkenberg said he was not feeling comfortable with the VJM05 car.
"It was quite a tough qualifying session for us, but I think the conditions had changed since free practice and I did not feel as comfortable with the car. My final lap in Q2 was a little compromised by some traffic coming out of the pits, but I guess P16 reflects the pace we have at the moment and the fact that all the teams around us are very close in terms of one-lap performance," said the German.
