Kimi Antonelli made history in China, taking pole for the Chinese Grand Prix with a 1m32.064s to become the youngest pole sitter in Formula 1 history, leading a Mercedes front row ahead of teammate George Russell.
Russell recovered from mechanical issues in Q3 to secure second in the closing moments, 0.222s behind Antonelli, while Lewis Hamilton was third for Ferrari ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc.
The McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris qualified fifth and sixth respectively, with Pierre Gasly seventh for Alpine ahead of the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.
Oliver Bearman rounded out the top 10 for Haas, while Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were eliminated in Q2 following a late spin for Gabriel Bortoleto that triggered double yellow flags.
Both Williams drivers exited in Q1, with Carlos Sainz 17th and Alex Albon 18th, while Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez also failed to progress.
The Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit gets underway at 3pm local time on Sunday (6pm AEDT).
Results: Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, Qualifying
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
| 1 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:33.305 | 1:32.443 | 1:32.064 | 15 |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:33.262 | 1:32.523 | 1:32.286 | 13 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:33.522 | 1:32.567 | 1:32.415 | 19 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:33.175 | 1:32.486 | 1:32.428 | 20 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:33.590 | 1:33.130 | 1:32.550 | 20 |
| 6 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:33.535 | 1:32.910 | 1:32.608 | 20 |
| 7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:33.788 | 1:33.003 | 1:32.873 | 21 |
| 8 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:33.417 | 1:33.098 | 1:33.002 | 20 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:33.632 | 1:33.352 | 1:33.121 | 20 |
| 10 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:33.687 | 1:33.197 | 1:33.292 | 19 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:34.116 | 1:33.354 | 12 | |
| 12 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:33.634 | 1:33.357 | 15 | |
| 13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:33.974 | 1:33.538 | 14 | |
| 14 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:34.139 | 1:33.765 | 15 | |
| 15 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:33.906 | 1:33.784 | 15 | |
| 16 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:33.549 | 1:33.965 | 14 | |
| 17 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:34.317 | 10 | ||
| 18 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:34.772 | 10 | ||
| 19 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:35.203 | 9 | ||
| 20 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:35.436 | 9 | ||
| 21 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:35.995 | 9 | ||
| 22 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:36.906 | 6 |
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