Max Verstappen qualified first for Saturday evening's sprint race in a dramatic sprint shootout session, with just over a tenth of a second covering the top four.
Fernando Alonso was eliminated from in SQ2, continuing a nightmare weekend for the Spaniard after qualifying in the bottom five for Sunday's feature race.
The sprint shootout gave Verstappen a chance to redeem himself after Friday's qualifying session for Sunday's feature race, qualifying just sixth after having his fastest time deleted for a track limits violation.
The three-time champion set the fastest time in all three shootout sessions, but had a scary moment when his car did a full 360º spin on his second flying lap in SQ2 – just managing to rescue it.