Charles Leclerc takes Belgian F1 Grand Prix pole after Max Verstappen penalty
Charles Leclerc claimed pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix with a strong lap in tricky wet conditions at Spa but one that was eclipsed by the pace of Max Verstappen, who was quickest on track for Red Bull but will start in 11th because of a 10-place grid penalty.
Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez finally delivered a strong qualifying in third, with Lewis Hamilton fourth in front of the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
With rain hitting the circuit throughout the session and the track representing a tough proposition, Verstappen had grip and control beyond any of his rivals, in stark contrast to the poor handling he suffered at the last round in Hungary.
As the crucial laps began in Q3, the track remained wet from rain that was still falling lightly, with teams running the intermediate tyres in the misty air of the Ardennes mountains. Timing was key over the long lap and Hamilton went out first for the opening runs but it was Verstappen who opened with 1min 53.159sec lap, a remarkable time given the conditions, six-tenths clear of Pérez and eight-tenths up on Hamilton.
With more rain predicted over the closing minutes, the final laps were vital and Leclerc found time where almost no one else was able to improve, the Ferrari driver putting in a mighty effort to wrestle his relatively uncompetitive car to a fine finish. Verstappen did not improve but did not have to, his margin over Leclerc was still huge at more than five-tenths of a second.
The pace was just what Verstappen and Red Bull wanted, having fast-tracked a major upgrade to Hungary in an attempt to steal a march on their rivals. It had proved to be entirely unsatisfactory in Budapest, with Verstappen vocal about the lack of balance and understeer, which with a low downforce aero package in the wet in Belgium the team successfully eliminated.
Verstappen will be pleased with the improvement in performance but he has a 10-place penalty after taking his fifth engine of the season, one more than the regulations allow. He will nonetheless be hopeful of making up positions and taking a win. He started from 14th in 2022 and sixth last year and came back to win both races but it will be far from as simple this time, with the domination his car enjoyed then long gone this year.
For Leclerc the pole is important for what has been a decidedly underperforming Ferrari since he took his first win of the season at Monaco.
It is the 26-year-old’s third pole in Belgium, a race where he has shown good form including taking his debut F1 victory here in 2019. Ferrari will be hopeful they can compete from the front but it will be a tough ask. Verstappen has looked ominously strong on race pace and tyre wear, while McLaren and Mercedes will expect more in what is expected to be dry conditions on Sunday.
George Russell was seventh for Mercedes, Carlos Sainz eighth for Ferrari, Fernando Alonso ninth for Aston Martin and Esteban Ocon 10th for Alpine.
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Lance Stroll suffered a heavy crash in the rain during the final practice session and was sent for a medical checkup. The driver was unhurt and his Aston Martin team did well to repair his car for qualifying where he finished 15th.
Alex Albon was 11th for Williams, Pierre Gasly 12th for Alpine, Daniel Ricciardo 13th for RB and Valtteri Bottas 14th for Sauber.
Yuki Tsunoda was 18th for RB but will start from the back of the grid after a 60-place grid penalty for having taken a full set of new power unit components.
Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen were 16th and 17th for Haas, Logan Sargeant 19th for Williams and Guanyu Zhou 20th for Sauber.