Nico Rosberg will start Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix from pole position after overcoming a strong challenge from title rival team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

The Mercedes duo have dominated all three practice sessions which continued into qualifying with Rosberg just edging out his stablemate by 0.197s to secure pole.

Rosberg had led the way after his first run in Q3 and despite a late charge from Hamilton, he managed to hang on to claim his 12th pole position of his Formula 1 career.

Williams’ Valtteri Bottas was once again the best of the rest in third with the Finn six tenths of a second adrift of the Mercedes pair.

The Grove squad locked out the second row with Felipe Massa in fourth ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in fifth.

Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo managed to put his error in Friday practice behind him to qualify in sixth position.

Team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who dropped a bombshell that he is leaving Red Bull for Ferrari next season prior to qualifying, will start from ninth on the grid.

Outgoing Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne narrowly missed a spot in the top 10 shootout in 11th just ahead of Force India’s Sergio Perez.

Fresh from the announcement he will be joining Red Bull next year, Daniil Kvyat qualified in 13th spot.

The Lotus pair of Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean failed to qualify for Q2 along with the perennial back markers from Caterham and Marussia.

Maldonado will fill the last place on the grid courtesy of his 10 place grid drop for a sixth engine change of the season.

Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying Results