Qualifying for the 2017 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, Round 2 of the season, took place at the Shanghai International Circuit. The session consisted of three stages, Q1, Q2 and Q3.
Lewis Hamilton set a 1:31.678 in Q3 to take pole position by 0.186 seconds. Sebastian Vettel finished second with a 1:31.864, while Valtteri Bottas was third on 1:31.865.
The top ten in qualifying were Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Räikkönen, Daniel Ricciardo, Felipe Massa, Nico Hülkenberg, Sergio Pérez, Daniil Kvyat and Lance Stroll, in that order.
Positions 11 to 15 went to Carlos Sainz, Kevin Magnussen, Fernando Alonso, Marcus Ericsson and Antonio Giovinazzi, in that order.
The remaining classified drivers were Stoffel Vandoorne in 16th, Romain Grosjean in 17th, Jolyon Palmer in 18th, Max Verstappen in 19th and Esteban Ocon in 20th. Giovinazzi was classified 15th with no Q2 time.
| Position | Car No. | Driver | Team | Q1 Time | Q2 Time | Q3 Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:33.333 | 1:32.406 | 1:31.678 | 13 |
| 2 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:33.078 | 1:32.391 | 1:31.864 | 15 |
| 3 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:33.684 | 1:32.552 | 1:31.865 | 14 |
| 4 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:33.341 | 1:32.181 | 1:32.140 | 15 |
| 5 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:34.041 | 1:33.546 | 1:33.033 | 12 |
| 6 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1:34.205 | 1:33.759 | 1:33.507 | 14 |
| 7 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1:34.453 | 1:33.636 | 1:33.580 | 16 |
| 8 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1:34.657 | 1:33.920 | 1:33.706 | 15 |
| 9 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:34.440 | 1:34.034 | 1:33.719 | 17 |
| 10 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Williams | 1:33.986 | 1:34.090 | 1:34.220 | 18 |
| 11 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 1:34.567 | 1:34.150 | — | 11 |
| 12 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:34.942 | 1:34.164 | — | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1:34.499 | 1:34.372 | — | 11 |
| 14 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1:34.892 | 1:35.046 | — | 15 |
| 15 | 36 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Sauber | 1:34.963 | — | — | 8 |
| 16 | 2 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 1:35.023 | — | — | 6 |
| 17 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:35.223 | — | — | 6 |
| 18 | 30 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1:35.279 | — | — | 6 |
| 19 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:35.433 | — | — | 7 |
| 20 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Force India | 1:35.496 | — | — | 8 |
