Verstappen failed to improve with his second Q3 run, dropping two tenths, but he could still rely on an earlier 1m27.472s flying lap to land top spot over Ferrari racer Charles Leclerc and Red Bull RB20 team-mate Sergio Perez.
The reigning three-time F1 world champion said that his first and fastest run had put him in mind of 2021, when he wiped out at the final corner of the Jeddah street circuit by clipping the outside wall.
