Andrea Dovizioso will start the season-opening Grand Prix of Qatar from the front of the grid after topping the timesheets in Saturday's second MotoGP qualifying session.
The Italian finished second behind Ducati team-mate Andrea Iannone in final practice, after defending champion Marc Marquez had gone quickest in the first three sessions.
However, Italian Dovizioso upped the pace when it mattered in qualifying, posting a time of one minute 54.113 seconds to put him clear of Repsol Honda pair Dani Pedrosa and Marquez, who finished second and third respectively.
Pedrosa had provisional pole with a time of 1:54.330, before Dovizioso's fifth lap ensured top spot.
The top five was completed by Iannone and Pramac Racing's Yonny Hernandez, while Cal Crutchlow will start from 12th spot following a crash.
With less than a minute remaining, the Briton leaned too far over during a corner at the Losail International Circuit in Doha, with both he and his bike sent skidding off the track.
Crutchlow had been in fine form during free practice three on Friday, but 24 hours on his day ultimately ended in disappointment.
Top 10
1. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) 1:54.113
2. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) 1:54.330
3. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) 1:54.437
4 Andrea Iannone (Ducati) 1:54.521
5. Yonny Hernandez (Pramac Racing) 1:54.675
6. Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha) 1:54.711
7. Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha) 1:54.732
8. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) 1:54.851
9. Danilo Petrucci (Pramac Racing) 1:54.876
10. Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha) 1:55.004