Verstappen set the fastest time in Friday qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps, which will be converted to sixth on the grid due to a gearbox penalty, after putting a massive eight tenths on Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the end of Q3.
But Verstappen almost didn't make it through to the top 10 shootout at all, having just dodged elimination in Q2 while the track was still wet.
A disagreement over his run plan prompted a fiery exchange with his Red Bull race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, though the world champion later apologised for his outburst.
"It was very tight. Of course, the conditions are very tricky, the track was really drying quickly.
"And yeah, my final lap, I just didn't have that confidence in Q2 to push more. And I was very lucky to be in P10."
The track continued drying rapidly in Q3, with all drivers soon switching to soft slicks as the battle for pole looked set to depend on how late drivers could start their final laps.
Source: Autosport