Verstappen had not headlined a single session across the weekend so far, but dialled in his pace throughout the qualifying sessions and found a quarter-second advantage at the very end to deny Ferrari a chance at pole.
Sainz had been fastest in both Q1 and Q2 and looked set to challenge for pole on his return to F1 after missing the Saudi Arabia round with appendicitis, but found a far more concerted challenge from Verstappen in the top-10 shootout.
