The Red Bull driver experimented with a different approach to his final run in Q3 to get more heat into his tyres, as he aimed to hold on to the top spot he had secured earlier after the first runs.
But the plan did not work as Verstappen struggled for grip on his last effort, opening the door for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to take a surprise pole position.
With teams having had just a single practice session before qualifying, they have been left facing much greater uncertainty about the behaviour of tyres.
And it was attempting to unlock an extra edge by being more aggressive on the out-lap that ultimately backfired for the Dutchman, as he was pipped and left second on the grid.
Asked by Autosport to explain the thinking behind the change of approach, Verstappen said: "I was just trying to put a bit more temperature in them [the tyres].
"It's just after FP1, I think sometimes you're not fully understanding what you want to do in qualifying. The first one was good, but it was still not perfect. So we tried, it could have worked and then it looks amazing.
"It's a bit like what happened in Australia. This time it didn't work, but it's not the end of the world."
Source: Autosport