Lando Norris fought through a slippery and wet track to win pole in China.
On Friday, the British driver for McLaren had his best lap dramatically reinstated during a chaotic qualifying run that featured rain and fire.
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Norris will hold the top spot in Saturday's Sprint, before the Sunday grid for the first Chinese Grand Prix since 2019 is finalized.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, who finished second in sprint qualifying, appeared to have the lead but race stewards reinstated Norris' deleted lap.
"Yeah, baby! Beautiful," said Norris, as his orange McLaren rolled through a curve in the rain.
It was the exact opposite scenario for Norris in the 2021 Russian GP, which featured a thrilling duel between the young McLaren driver and Hamilton when Mercedes was still at its dominating peak.
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"I don't know where to start," Norris told Sky Sports after losing the Russian GP in brutal fashion. "I'm unhappy, devastated in a way."
What was set up as Norris' first Formula One win ended with pure frustration.
Norris started from pole position, led laps 13-28 and then 37-50, and was just three laps away from a brilliant victory.
But he slid off the track on lap 51, allowing Hamilton to overcome a huge gap and win the Russian GP in Sochi.
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It was Hamilton's 100th win.
It was racing pain for Norris and McLaren.
He tweeted a photo with one word attached: "Heartbroken."
"We made a call to stay out and we stand by that," Norris said. "It was the wrong one at the end of the day but I made the decision just as much as the team.
"It was more that they thought I should box and I decided to stay out. It was my decision, I thought it was the way to go."
The Norris-Hamilton duel in the rain was the last Russian GP, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that followed.
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Norris will start on pole for the Sprint at the 2024 China GP at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Hamilton will be second, followed by Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari).
Norris, 24, is still searching for his first F1 win.
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The Bristol native has finished second seven times and has earned 14 podiums.
Norris is ranked fifth in the 2024 Driver Standings with 37 points, while McLaren is third in the Constructor Standings and ahead of Mercedes.