Formula 1 Belgian GP
F1 Belgian GP: Verstappen dominates qualifying as Leclerc inherits pole
Verstappen was fastest in qualifying for Formula 1's Belgian GP, but will take a grid penalty to leave Leclerc on pole
Alex Kalinauckas
Edited: Jul 27, 2024, 9:05 PM
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, celebrates in Parc Ferme after securing pole
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Max Verstappen topped qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, where Ferrari's Charles Leclerc made a surprise late leap to second and deny Sergio Perez the pole inherited around Verstappen's grid drop.
In a wet session where the drivers used the intermediate tyres throughout, the teams were split on how they approached Q3, with Verstappen and the Ferrari drivers stopping to switch to fresh inters, while the Mercedes and McLaren cars circulated throughout the final segment.
Watch: Verstappen Fastest, Leclerc Starts From Pole - 2024 F1 Belgian GP Paddock Reaction
Verstappen led this throughout, as his 1m53.159s at the end of the opening runs put him top ahead of Perez, with Lewis Hamilton third and heading Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Lando Norris.
They carried on after a cool-down/battery-charge tour, after which Norris was able to get ahead of Piastri and Russell, as they did not improve.
Further rain falling late in Q3 meant the cars that had stopped to change tyres – including Perez going from one used set to another – stood to gain.
Verstappen, even with the fastest third sector of Q3, could not and came up 0.042s short of what would be the top time set on the first runs, while Leclerc stunned the rest in leaping from eighth after the opening goes to second.
It marks his best grid spot since he was on pole in Monaco six races ago and he will now inherit the pole statistic for this race as again Verstappen drops to start 11th for his latest Spa engine change penalty.
Perez did not improve on the final Q3 runs either, but still stayed ahead of Hamilton, the McLarens and Russell.
Then came Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.
As he did in Q1, Verstappen got through Q2 using just a single set of inters, with the rain coming down slightly harder than in the opening segment.
Alex Albon came just 0.003s shy of knocking Perez out in Q2, with Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo (who was in the pits as the rest set their final efforts in the middle segment), Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll also exiting at this stage.
In Q1, where threatened further rain never arrived, Haas pair Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen got shuffled out in 16th and 17th, with Yuki Tsunoda behind joining them in setting a personal best on his final Q1 lap but to no avail.
Tsunoda is set to start last due to his penalty for taking a whole new engine here, which will elevate the other Q1 fallers – Logan Sargeant and Zhou Guanyu, who faces a post-session investigation for appearing to impede Verstappen at Blanchimont late in the opening segment.
Belgian Grand Prix starting grid
Cla Driver Car / Engine Time Delay 1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1'53.754 2 Sergio Perez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1'53.765 0.011 3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1'53.835 0.081 4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1'53.981 0.227 5 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1'54.027 0.273 6 George Russell Mercedes 1'54.184 0.430 7 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1'54.477 0.723 8 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1'54.765 1.011 9 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1'54.810 1.056 10 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1'54.473 0.719 11 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1'53.159 -0.595 12 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1'54.635 0.881 13 Daniel Ricciardo RB/Honda RBPT 1'54.682 0.928 14 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 1'54.764 1.010 15 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1'55.716 1.962 16 Nico Hulkenberg Haas/Ferrari 1'56.308 2.554 17 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 1'56.500 2.746 18 Logan Sargeant Williams/Mercedes 1'57.230 3.476 19 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 1'57.775 4.021 20 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 1'56.593 2.839
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