F1 Belgian GP: Max Verstappen fastest by 0.8s in qualifying but Charles Leclerc to start on pole position
Friday’s delayed qualifying started in wet conditions with the field on intermediates before drying out mid-way through Q2, enabling t🎃he drivers to switch onto slick tyres for the remainder of the session.
A sensational lap from the reigning world champion put him 0.820s clear of neܫarest challenger Leclerc, but a five-place penalty for exceeding his gearbox allocation for the season means Verstappen will drop to sixth for Sunday’s main grand prix.
Verstappen’s penalty sees Leclerc, who sat on provisional pole prior to the Red Bull driver’s mega final lap, promoted to the very front of t꧃he grid at Spa-Francorchamps.
Leclerc wil𓃲l be joined on the front row by Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who was third-quickest, ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilto🔯n, who produced the fastest final sector of anyone to set the fourth-fastest time.
Carlos Sainz wꦆas fifth-fastest but will jump up to the second row for Sunday, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri set to start fifth as the last driver to gain from Verstappen’s penalty.&nbs🐠p;
Piastri edged out McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who wꦺill start seventh ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and the Aston Martin pair of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, who completed the top-10.
Daniel Ricciardo will start only 19t🍃h for Sunday’s grand prix 💮after paying the price for exceeding track limits and having his best lap time - which was good enough for sixth - deleted.
The returning AlphaTauri driver was ahead of only Nico Hulkenberg, who ꦜended up slowest of all for Haas in 20th.
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