Shanghai: Season leader and defending champion Fernando Alonso took pole position on Saturday for the Chinese Grand Prix in wet conditions, while arch rival Michael Schumacher qualified sixth.
Alonso led qualifying with a time of 1 minute, 44,360 seconds at the 5.451-kilometer (3.387-mile) Shanghai International Circuit, almost 10 seconds slower than Friday's time dry conditions.
Alonso's Renault teammate Giancarlo Fisichella was second with 1:44.992.
It was the sixth pole for Alonso this season, but his first since June when he won his last race, the Canadian Grand Prix. He has 15 career poles
The Renaults dominated the qualifying session, finishing 1-2 in all three sections.
Rubens Barrichello in a Honda was third with 1:45.503. Schumacher was sixth in 1:45.775, just behind McLaren's Kimmi Raikkonen at 1:45.754.
Rain threatened throughout the morning, then fell harder just as qualifying began. More rain is forecast for Sunday's 56-lap race.
Schumacher had his troubles in the first two sessions, coming in 13th and ninth while Alonso led both.
Felipe Massa, Schumacher's Ferrari teammate, was just 14th and will start at the back of the grid Sunday because of a 10-place penalty due to an engine change on Friday.
Alonso holds a 108-106 point lead over seven-time champion Schumacher, and is looking to halt any further erosion of his lead.
Six races ago, Alonso led by 25 points after winning six of the first nine races of the season. Since then, he hasn't won a race while Schumacher has won four.
Schumacher then announced his retirement following his victory at the Italian GP earlier this month.
Still, the German has repeatedly met with trouble at the state-of-the-art Shanghai track.
He came in 12th in 2004 and finished dead last in 2005 amid spins, freak crashes and tire blowouts.
Alonso won at Shanghai last year to clinch the constructor's crown for Renault. The Spaniard, the then aged 24, last year became the youngest racer to win the season driver's title.
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