Kimi Antonelli secured his second successive pole position securing front of the grid at the Japanese Grand Prix ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell on Saturday.
The 19-year-old, who triumphed last time out in China, finished 0.298 seconds faster than Russell as Mercedes secured the front two of the grid for a third consecutive race.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri was third quickest at Suzuka, 0.354 seconds off the pace, with Charles Leclerc fourth for Ferrari.
Reigning champion Lando Norris, who lost significant time in practice due to issues with his car, was fifth for McLaren and will start on the third row alongside the other Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who has won the last four races at Suzuka from pole, failed to make the top 10. The four-time world champion described his car as “undriveable” and will start 11th.
“'m super happy with the session, it was a good one, it was a clean one,” said Antonelli, who the youngest pole sitter in Formula One history in Shanghai. “I felt very good in the car and every run was improving and improving.
“It was a shame about the last lap because I locked up in Turn 11 but it was a good one as well. Really happy for the session and I look forward to tomorrow.
“The fans here in Japan are pretty incredible, there's so much passion and racing on such a historic track is an incredible feeling. The track is unbelievable to drive with these kind of cars and the fans give us a little bit of a boost.”
British driver Russell, who leads Antonelli in the drivers' championship by four points, was full of praise for his young teammate's efforts.
“[He] did a great job again,” said Russell. It was a really strange session for us. We were both very fast all weekend.
“We made some adjustments after FP3, and then at the beginning of qualifying, we were nowhere. So, we need to kind of understand.
“Very lucky again to be in P2. The last two weekends it’s kind of both gone wrong come qualifying. But the race is tomorrow and there’s still a lot to play for.”
Seven-time champion Hamilton – who sealed his first podium in the red of Ferrari after finishing third in China – was feeling “pretty decent” despite being “not very quick compared to the guys in the Mercedes and a little bit in the McLaren”.
“I don't know whether we can turn it into a podium but … It looks McLaren have taken a step forward,” said Hamilton. “They've got the Mercedes engine which is a long way ahead of us at the moment. We've got a huge amount of work to do.”
Over at Red Bull, Verstappen's traumatic start to the new campaign took another twist when he was knocked out of Q2.
“I am not even frustrated any more,” said the disconsolate Dutch driver. “I am beyond that.
“I don't know the right word in English for it. I don't know what it is in Dutch either. I don't know what to make of it to be honest. There are probably no words. I don't get upset about it, and I don't get frustrated by it any more with what is going on.
“You know how I think about a lot of the stuff, and I don't need to mention it again. So, there is a lot of stuff also, for me personally, to figure out.”
Verstappen has made little secret of his dislike for the sport's new regulations – repeatedly comparing them to Mario Kart – and the four-time world champion stated that he would walk away if he did not enjoy the rules.
Verstappen, under contract with the former champions until 2028, finished sixth at the first race in Melbourne.
He broke down at the next round in China with an engine problem, and in qualifying here – a venue he won at so impressively last year – was eliminated in Q2 and out-qualified by his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar.
