McLaren was plagued by brake cooling issues throughout the pre-season, which continued into the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Mercedes has had a rocky start to the new era of Formula One, with Hamilton qualifying fifth fastest for the season-opening Bahrain GP.
The Dane only got the call to drive in F1 this season a few weeks ago, after Haas cancelled Nikita Mazepin's contract.
Verstappen was only 0.123s ahead of Sainz, who couldn't improve on his first run and finished third by 0.129s.
The beginning of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen's storied 2021 rivalry came all the way back in the Bahrain GP of the last season.
The first race of the season might very well see some newer faces on the podium, but the usual suspects should never be counted out.
They appeared to be a notable victim of the "porpoising" issue that many teams have experienced as a result of the new technical regulations.
Halfway through the hour, the reigning champion switched to soft tyres and set the fastest time with a time of 1m 31.936s.
It will be Hulkenberg's first Grand Prix since standing in for Lance Stroll at Racing Point at the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix.
The Sakhir-based circuit first hosted Formula One in 2004, and has since provided some thrilling racing action.