Identified as the same ERS failure that consigned him to the back of the grid in Shanghai, Hamilton was forced out of Q3 only this time, leaving him a provisional 10th on the grid. As it stands, it is unclear whether he will take another grid penalty for a component change, but he was also under investigation for not following protocol when re-joining the track after an off in Q1. This will be investigated after the session.
With Hamilton sidelined, the path was cleared for Rosberg to win pole position by a massive seven tenths margin over Sebastian Vettel, though he also drops five positions to seventh place due to a gearbox change on his Ferrari.
As such, Valtteri Bottas is lifted to second position after getting the better of fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen with his best lap, marking what will be Williams’ first front row start since the 2014 German Grand Prix.
Felipe Massa consolidated Williams’ upturn in pace with fifth, which becomes fourth, while Daniel Ricciardo rises to fifth position in the leading Red Bull and Sergio Perez also gains a position in a season-best sixth for Force India at the behest of the penalised Vettel.
Home hope Daniil Kvyat gets underway from eighth position, ahead of Red Bull stablemate Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso. Hamilton is classified tenth provisionally, pending any penalties.
With his Toro Rosso team-mate inside the top ten, Carlos Sainz failed to make it beyond Q2 in 11th position, while McLaren’s hopes of making it into Q3 for the first time since 2014 were scuppered as rivals turned it up to overhaul them, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso in 12th and 14th. Haas follow up in 15th and 16th, Romain Grosjean ahead of team-mate Esteban Gutierrez.
Renault’s tough weekend continued with neither Kevin Magnussen nor Jolyon Palmer progressing past Q1, the pair lining up 17th and 18th, while 19th Felipe Nasr – using a new Sauber chassis this weekend – lines up ahead of last-of-all Marcus Ericsson. Manor’s Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto start between them in 20th and 21st.