Lewis Hamilton has edged out Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg to secure pole position for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix.
The 2014 world champion survived a late charge in sector three from one of his main title rivals to head the grid in Shanghai.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel will start in third, despite being almost a second behind Hamilton and Rosberg, while Felipe Massa qualified in fourth in the Williams.
Teammate Valtteri Bottas ended the session fifth, Kimi Raikkonen secured sixth spot, while Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo will start in seventh place.
However, there was more frustration for McLaren, with both Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso failing to make it out of Q1 for a third race in succession.
Full standings:
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
3. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
4. Felipe Massa (Williams)
5. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
6. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
7. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
8. Romain Grosjean (Lotus)
9. Felipe Nasr (Sauber)
10. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
11. Pastor Maldonado (Lotus)
12. Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull)
13. Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso)
14. Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso)
15. Sergio Perez (Force India)
16. Nico Hulkenberg (Force India)
17. Jenson Button (McLaren)
18. Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
19. Will Stevens (Marussia)
20. Roberto Merhi (Marussia)
