Max Verstappen Fastest in Wet Qualifying at Belgian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen set the fastest time during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. However, due to a 10-place grid penalty for changing his power unit, the Dutch driver will start in P11. As a result, Charles Leclerc will take pole position for the race.

Verstappen showcased impressive speed as the qualifying session went on, clocking a stunning lap of 1m 53.159s in his Red Bull, which was half a second quicker than Ferrari’s Leclerc. Sergio Perez also had a strong showing, securing P3 in another Red Bull, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton following closely in P4.

McLaren‘s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri claimed fifth and sixth places respectively, while George Russell took P7 in his Mercedes. Carlos Sainz earned P8 for Ferrari, with his fellow countryman, Fernando Alonso, finishing P9 in the Aston Martin. Esteban Ocon rounded out the top-10 for Alpine.

Alex Albon barely missed out on advancing to Q3, finishing in P11 after setting a time just three thousandths shy of the cut-off. Pierre Gasly took P12 for Alpine, while Daniel Ricciardo ended up in P13 with the RB. Valtteri Bottas from Kick Sauber landed in P14, followed by Lance Stroll, who recovered to P15 after a crash in FP3.

The Haas duo, composed of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, had a rough day and both exited in Q1, finishing in 16th and 17th respectively. Yuki Tsunoda ended his session early in P18, but he was already set to start from the back due to an engine penalty. Logan Sargeant placed P19 for Williams, with Zhou Guanyu in P20 for Kick Sauber.

The day saw earlier rain limit practice, leaving qualifying on a wet track at Spa-Francorchamps. Though showers were not expected to return until the session finished, the weather did play its part in the event. There was also uncertainty about Stroll’s participation after his crash, but thankfully, he was fine and his Aston Martin team worked hard to prepare his car in time.

With the threat of rain looming, cars quickly lined up in the pit lane at the start of Q1 as everyone aimed to get a lap in before conditions changed. Initially, all drivers used intermediate tyres, but the slippery conditions posed a challenge, with Hamilton noting that there was “no grip.” Nonetheless, as the session moved along, lap times began to drop as the track improved.

Bottas made a noteworthy move from last to sixth position nearing the end of Q1, while Gasly impressed by jumping into third place. Norris’s engineer stressed the importance of fresh tyres, driving the Briton to box for a new set. With five minutes left, Verstappen climbed to the top of the timesheets, while Norris lifted himself out of the danger zone into P5.

As the final minutes ticked down, some of the bigger names were at risk of elimination, including Russell, who found himself in P17 temporarily. After switching to new intermediates, Russell managed to bounce back into P3, though he would later settle for seventh place. Piastri also performed well, while Perez narrowly avoided a Q1 exit.

Q2 began as drivers continued to favour intermediates despite a gentle drizzle starting to fall. The track appeared to be drying out, with Norris improving on his Q1 lap time. Verstappen then set a benchmark with a lap time of 1m 53.857s, extending his lead. The rain picked up toward the end of the session, pushing some notable drivers, including Sainz and Leclerc, into the drop zone before they squeezed into the top five.

Despite Perez improving his time, he just managed to secure a Q3 spot as he was eventually pushed down the order. Albon missed the cut by a mere three thousandths of a second, and Gasly also couldn’t advance, placing P12. Meanwhile, Ricciardo, Bottas, and Stroll rounded out the eliminated drivers in 13th, 14th, and 15th.

As Q3 commenced, the Mercedes duo was first out as the green light signaled the start of the final session. Verstappen once again stamped his authority, leading after the first runs with a time of 1m 53.159s. This put him six tenths ahead of Perez, while Hamilton, Piastri, and Russell completed the top five.

Most drivers returned to the pits after their initial laps, but the Mercedes and McLaren drivers decided to stay out. They played it safe in case heavier rain came. While others failed to match Verstappen’s time in their last attempts, Leclerc managed a strong second-place finish, though still behind the Red Bull. Perez improved to third, followed by Hamilton, Norris, and Piastri in sixth. The top ten was concluded with Russell, Sainz, Alonso, and Ocon.