Verstappen will start ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) after the one-hour qualifying session, which is split into three segments with five cars each being knocked out in Q1 and Q2 before the top-10 shootout of Q3.
Chinese Grand Prix grid: Verstappen on pole from Perez
What happened in Chinese Grand Prix Q1?
Verstappen set the pace with a lap time of 1m34.742s, 0.055s faster than Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and a tenth clear of Lando Norris (McLaren).
Falling at the first hurdle were local hero Zhou Guanyu (Sauber), Kevin Magnussen (Haas), sprint race runner-up Lewis Hamilton (who locked up at the hairpin in his Mercedes), Yuki Tsunoda (RB) and Logan Sargeant (who spun his Williams).
Chinese GP Q1 results: Verstappen fastest from Leclerc
What happened in Chinese Grand Prix Q2?
Verstappen topped this session with a time of 1m33.794s, 0.232s quicker than Perez.
Carlos Sainz spun his Ferrari into the wall on the exit of the final turn, causing a red flag. He managed to tour back to the pits, minus his front wing, and rejoined the session to finish an impressive third.
Knocked out at this point were Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Daniel Ricciardo (RB), Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Alex Albon (Williams) and Pierre Gasly (Alpine).
Chinese GP Q2 results: Verstappen fastest from Perez
What happened in Chinese Grand Prix Q3?
On the first runs, Verstappen set the pole position benchmark at 1m33.977s, four tenths ahead of Alonso.
On the final runs, Verstappen improved to 1m33.660s to seal pole by 0.322s over Perez, also half a second clear of Alonso, Norris, Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz.
George Russell (Mercedes) will start eighth from Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) and Valtteri Bottas (Sauber).