Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella claimed pole position for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix at Spa during a qualifying session full of surprises. World Championship leader Jenson Button failed to make the top-10 shoot-out for the first time this season and the 29-year-old down in a miserable season-low 14th in his Brawn.
The best qualifier of the title contenders is Rubens Barrichello, fourth for Brawn.
Toyota's Jarno Trulli will be second on the grid, with BMW's Nick Heidfeld in third.
Fisichella - the man being touted to replace the hapless Luca Badoer at Ferrari - gave Force India their first F1 pole, although it remains to be seen how much fuel is in the car.
Fisichella, whose previous best grid slot this year was 13th, was unable to explain his performance.
"Pole position is amazing, fantastic,'' remarked the 36-year-old.
"I'm so happy and thanks to the team who have done a great job. It's a remarkable result.
"I've shown what I can do. This is one of my favourite circuits, but I didn't expect to be on pole, in particular considering the budget of our team.''
It is the veteran Italian's fourth pole of his career, and his first since Malaysia in 2006.
Force India are now on course to score their first point as they have yet to break their duck in 29 races since entering the sport.
The second BMW Sauber of Robert Kubica will start from fifth on the grid. Behind the Pole comes Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, Timo Glock in his Toyota, and then the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in eighth and ninth, with Williams' Nico Rosberg 10th.
The 15-minute middle session was not just a disaster for Button, but also for the McLaren duo of reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen.
After victory in Hungary and starting on pole last weekend for the European Grand Prix in Valencia, it was a return to McLaren's poor form from earlier in the year.
Hamilton starts 12th, with his car struggling in the twisty middle section of the track, whilst Kovalainen is 15th, his second worst qualifying display this season.
The McLarens were both beaten by Force India's Adrian Sutil, who occupies 11th on the grid, with Renault's Fernando Alonso another big-name casualty in Q2 as the double world champion starts 13th.
As for Badoer, he can consider himself out of a job following Sunday's race in the wake of another abysmal performance.
The 38-year-old replacement for the recuperating Felipe Massa will again start at the back of the grid, as he did last weekend on his Ferrari debut in Valencia.
Badoer ended the opening 20-minute Q1 in disgrace by breaking the rear suspension of his car in careering backwards into a tyre wall after passing Vettel on the approach to Les Combes.
Ahead of the Italian, likely to be replaced by Fisichella who was remarkably fastest at the end of Q1, the Toro Rossos of Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari start 16th and 17th.
Williams' Kazuki Nakajima is down in 18th, both the team's and the Japanese driver's worst grid position of the year, with Renault's Romain Grosjean also struggling on his second outing as he is 19th.
Button offered a simple explanation for his poor display, conceding he "wasn't fast enough".
He added: "It is pretty disastrous for tomorrow really. It's going to make it very difficult.
"I didn't have any pace on the soft tyres and every time I hit the brakes, the rear would move. I did not have any confidence in the rear end.
"It's strange to be four or five tenths (of a second) off Rubens. Our cars are different, but they are not that different.''
Looking at his position, Hamilton remarked: "I went into qualifying nervous as hell. I didn't know where we were going to be.
"We knew we didn't have the downforce of the others. I'm losing so much time in the middle sector. There was nothing I could do, I was on the ragged edge.
"But we can have a little bit of fun with Kers from down there."