Verstappen led after the first runs in Q3 on a 1m28.991s, with Leclerc and Sainz trailing – just 0.080s covering all three.
On the final runs, Leclerc headed the pack and was up on his own personal best time from the off, then taking the best time in the middle sector to roar to a 1m28.796s.
Running behind, Sainz registered a stunning first sector 0.2 seconds quicker than his teammate, but he lost time as the lap went on and he ended up 0.190s adrift.
But that was still enough to slot him ahead of Verstappen’s run one time, which secured second place on the grid for Sunday’s race as the Red Bull driver abandoned his final effort.
Verstappen had to catch a massive oversteer snap he encountered after throwing his RB18 through the fast, flowing Turns 5/6 complex, sliding off at the latter corner and winding up 0.6s down on Leclerc in sector one – after which he toured back to the finish line and accepting his defeat with the note that he “f***ed it”.
Sergio Perez took fourth in the second Red Bull ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
Pierre Gasly took seventh, with Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll rounding out the top 10.
In Q2, Fernando Alonso set his best time right at the end, but could not reach the top 10 shootout as he was eliminated in 11th, on spot ahead of FP2 pace-setter George Russell.
Russell went for most of Q2 without a time on the board as he struggled with wild oversteer snaps through the track’s flowing first sector and porpoising elsewhere, but finally reached the top 10 with his final effort.
But that came nearly two minutes before the middle segment of qualifying had finished and he did not have enough time to return to the pits for fresh tyres and so was pushed down the order and eliminated.
He finished ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who rued time lost sliding out of the chicane at the end of the second sector for his 13th place result, ahead of McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Haas driver Mick…
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