Rosberg on pole as Hamilton starts last

Lewis Hamilton faces a mammoth task to score points in tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix after a reliability issue ruined his qualifying.

The Mercedes driver will start last with an engine issue, 21 places behind his team-mate Nico Rosberg, who took pole.

The German fended off Daniel Ricciardo, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel and is the major favourite to win for the third race in a row.

Ferrari's Raikkonen was set for pole until Rosberg produced a stunning lap, while the Red Bull of Ricciardo stunned everyone by claiming a front row start.

There were two red flags on the wet track, as Pascal Wehrlein crashed in Q1 and Nico Hulkenberg's wheel came off in Q2.

But Hamilton was the biggest casualty as mechanics tried desperately to fix his car, which lost hybrid power.

He tried to go out late in the first session but failed to set a time, meaning he missed Q2 for the first time in 18 months.

The path was left clear for Rosberg, and he took full advantage as he was the only driver to run soft tyres in Q2, giving him a major advantage tomorrow.

Eventually, he finished over half a second clear of Ricciardo, but he will be wary of Ferrari during the race.

They should have been closer to him today, but Raikkonen and Vettel both messed up on their final runs.

Valtteri Bottas starts fifth for Williams, ahead of Daniil Kvyat, Sergio Pérez and Carlos Sainz.

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