Sainz ran second quickest in the pole position shootout, falling only 0.044s short of team-mate Charles Leclerc as Max Verstappen abandoned his final flying lap to end up third.
But Sainz must fight back from 12th on the grid as a legacy of taking a third control electronics package of the season to exceed the allocated two following his FP1 damage, which handed him a 10-place grid drop.
He said: "An outstanding job by the whole team. We've dominated qualifying together after a tough Friday yesterday to put together the whole car again.
"To get a front-row lock-out, I think it's incredible. Obviously, I would love to be on pole because it would mean I start 11th instead of 12. But I think that we did the maximum that we could today.
"Obviously still disappointed with yesterday. I'm not going to lie. I'm still in a very bad mood but I'm trying not to show it too much. But it is what it is."
The upset and repairs are owed to extensive damage from Sainz hitting a loose water valve cover after only nine minutes of FP1 causing the session to be cancelled and FP2 delayed by more than two hours.
Source: Autosport